[ANN][RMC]Ride My Car / Ride Share / Carpooling

[fuddudle]

Uni-directional contracts are a lot easier to handle, if you rent a car or bike, there is less risk in spending time with a complete stranger.

Slock.it had a really decent idea going with using IoT to lock and unlock things. This would be the equivalent of the DriveNow car rental business cept the contracts are negotiated over the chain.

I'm not sure what applications would be relevant here, but I did like the slock.it idea, its just a shame their funding rested on the DAO which we all know turned out to be a very bad idea.

Smart contracts are not mature. It was an intentional decision by Satoshi to not build a turing complete system into Bitcoin, and I believe that ETH and their EVM are still many disasters away from being reliable enough to used by mainstream businesses.

The issue I have with the smart contract malarkey is the 'unlimited' scope which it attempts to fill. It's still early days yet, I don't think i'm quite at the level of installing some IoT connected device to my car to control it's locks. There's just too much that can go wrong, and the complexity is such that you can't just open up and inspect the mechanicals to see whats wrong. It's actual code. In the case of ETH, it was a combination of the smart contract code, and the actual EVM itself.

With RMC, i really hope it's not the case of doing absolutely everything via contracts. Better to build in functions through iteration, expand the scope of operation through rigorous testing.

[mattjack]

Is it viable to attach a connected 'lock' to a bike?  The world is losing it's sanity ..

[hunnaryb]

Is it viable to attach a connected 'lock' to a bike?  The world is losing it's sanity ..

They could build an nfc reader into the frame itself. And then I guess some kind of lock contraption built into the bike itself. But this is just going wayyy too far.

[Zawamiya]

Thanks for the interesting discussion, it's been really insightful seeing what people are interested in.

I have made notes of all your suggestions and I'll make sure that I give each a thorough think through.

One of the more heated debates I see is regarding how we deal with verifying users.

This is obviously something that I recognise as being important in building a user base that trusts at the very least, the identify of the people they will be interacting with. We will be implementing a system after the beta that will require a minimum amount of verification with government id. We will not however be making this id public. Drivers will also need to submit some vehicle information so as to tie their car to their name. Again, this information will not be public and is there to safeguard against people using stolen vehicles. (As well as allow easier identification of vehicles for passengers waiting for their ride)

Obviously there are some challenges in users building some trust, and that is why we've made sure to build in a trust rating system much like uber's which will allow you to leave feedback as well as rate the overall experience. Of course, early users will have an opportunity to build trust.

Each account will also build reputation, regardless of whether you are a driver or a passenger. Accounts will eventually have most of the public meta data available for interrogation on the chain. And we will implement an attestation system to allow users to do their own background checks.

As for the rental market, it is an interesting proposition but something I haven't begun to look into yet. For now, getting the minimum viable product out for beta, and then looking for some form of crowdfunding will be the focus areas.

As cryptor0th has mentioned, it will be difficult to directly challenge other ride sharing platforms. They have had multiple funding rounds that have given them the ability to sustain astronomically high burn rates just to win a market share. We don't plan to be a loss leader so there won't be aggressive subsidies, and the likelihood of getting substantial funding is also quite slim. However, the project, like most other crypto projects, serves as an experiment to see if we can actually make serious use case work, even if at the prototype level and then serve as a benchmark for potential integration into the mainstream products.

On a final note, just because i'm not replying to each of the comments, it doesn't mean i'm not reading them all, and I do appreciate all of the feedback on the core idea so far.

[yuriygeorge]

Thanks OP, i was beginning to think you disappeared.

So i guess that clears up on how things will roll in terms of verification. I'm fine with that, as long as the beta won't require me to submit anything I can atleast test it out.

How will you address the different laws regarding who can drive a given car?

In some countries, only those with insurance on a specific car can drive that car, whilst in other countries, insurance is not tied to the driver but the car.

Suppose I wanted to take my mums car on a drive from one city to the next, and she already has an account with her name associated with her car, can I also have an account with the same car tied to my account? Over here, our insurance is tied to the car, so anybody with a license can drive it.

[busyviable]

I actually do uber part time, but recently the work has been not worth the time. It might be to do with the fact I live in the suburbs.
I do like meeting random people though, I think people forget that it's an opportunity to meet people who might be travelling to the same place as you

[hyunsookmom]

I actually do uber part time, but recently the work has been not worth the time. It might be to do with the fact I live in the suburbs.
I do like meeting random people though, I think people forget that it's an opportunity to meet people who might be travelling to the same place as you

That's cool ! Got any cool stories to share on passenger crazies?

I once had an uber called for me when I was passing out from drinking. I was found sleeping on the street, I have no idea whether the uber driver had to physically pull me out the car or I just stumbled out myself.

[CoinBateman]

One question I have in mind is how can we get an accurate rating / reputation system if people are able to book journeys on behalf of other people perhaps not registered?

[busyviable]

One question I have in mind is how can we get an accurate rating / reputation system if people are able to book journeys on behalf of other people perhaps not registered?

Don't think it matters that much really, if you book on your friends behalf, and your friends end up being dicks then its just on you.

[BCMan]

I guess the id verification is the absolute minimum amount of information required, and even then it's not going to affect users from the beginning.

[kokokoin]

Each vehicle will need to be registered and identity verified for the driver.

How the vehicle could be registered without the middleman?

[jaylin]

Even though it's still money, without having millions of dollars on hand, one way you could potentially get users to use it is to subsidise with the coin itself. Having a certain amount of the coins set aside for this purpose is perfectly reasonable.

[Pikadoh]

Sorry if this has already been asked or mentioned and I missed it. But will the platform only accept RMC or will other crypto currencies be available for use?

[fxmulder]

Thanks OP, i was beginning to think you disappeared.

So i guess that clears up on how things will roll in terms of verification. I'm fine with that, as long as the beta won't require me to submit anything I can atleast test it out.

How will you address the different laws regarding who can drive a given car?

In some countries, only those with insurance on a specific car can drive that car, whilst in other countries, insurance is not tied to the driver but the car.

Suppose I wanted to take my mums car on a drive from one city to the next, and she already has an account with her name associated with her car, can I also have an account with the same car tied to my account? Over here, our insurance is tied to the car, so anybody with a license can drive it.

Good questions. I think and I could be wrong here but different laws may apply as this is carpooling or ridesharing not a taxi service.

[hyunsookmom]

Thanks OP, i was beginning to think you disappeared.

So i guess that clears up on how things will roll in terms of verification. I'm fine with that, as long as the beta won't require me to submit anything I can atleast test it out.

How will you address the different laws regarding who can drive a given car?

In some countries, only those with insurance on a specific car can drive that car, whilst in other countries, insurance is not tied to the driver but the car.

Suppose I wanted to take my mums car on a drive from one city to the next, and she already has an account with her name associated with her car, can I also have an account with the same car tied to my account? Over here, our insurance is tied to the car, so anybody with a license can drive it.

Good questions. I think and I could be wrong here but different laws may apply as this is carpooling or ridesharing not a taxi service.

I was curious about that myself maybe the dev will chime in on this one or I guess I can google it.

[7ten]

One question I have in mind is how can we get an accurate rating / reputation system if people are able to book journeys on behalf of other people perhaps not registered?

I was thinking about that as well I think they will have to hire some test riders to work with new drivers to rate them. Not really sure the best way to do this but safety factor is in question.

Ridesharing is not new so I guess they can see how other communities have solved this issue.

[hyunsookmom]

What I like the most about this project is that it is using a current technology to create a community to help the environment by reducing ones carbon footprint.

[titomane]

What I like the most about this project is that it is using a current technology to create a community to help the environment by reducing ones carbon footprint.

crypto for the greater good!

[Zubilica]

What I like the most about this project is that it is using a current technology to create a community to help the environment by reducing ones carbon footprint.

crypto for the greater good!

Carpooling really should have taken off a long time ago, I'm not sure why its not more popular nowadays honestly.

[SteemBit]

a lot of references to uber but thats a taxi service this is more geared toward carpooling.

Wiki Snag...

Carpooling (also car-sharing, ride-sharing, lift-sharing and covoiturage) is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car.

By having more people using one vehicle, carpooling reduces each person's travel costs such as fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving. Carpooling is also a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel as sharing journeys reduces carbon emissions, traffic congestion on the roads, and the need for parking spaces. Authorities often encourage carpooling, especially during periods of high pollution or high fuel prices.

In 2009, carpooling represented 43.5% of all trips in the United States and 10% of commute trips. The majority of carpool commutes (over 60%) are "fam-pools" with family members.

Carpool commuting is more popular for people who work in places with more jobs nearby, and who live in places with higher residential densities. Carpooling is significantly correlated with transport operating costs, including gas prices and commute length, and with measures of social capital, such as time spent with others, time spent eating and drinking, and being unmarried. However, carpooling is significantly less likely among people who spend more time at work, older workers, and homeowners.