Tickengo Joins Collaborative Movement

Online, August 18, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Tickengo, a collaborative transportation community, launched its website in public beta late yesterday, with iPhone and Android apps soon to follow. The company, which received seed funding from Kima Ventures, allows drivers and riders going on the same routes to connect. Using the website, passengers request a ride for on-demand or future service, specifying how much they are willing to contribute. Drivers can then accept to give a ride if they are willing and able. Tickengo's drivers are not specially trained. Drivers on the site are regular people who want to help out and give rides to neighbors. Almost 10,000 drivers are already a part of the Tickengo community.

"Tickengo is a true peer-to-peer collaborative transportation service. The company never hired drivers and has no plans to hire drivers to give rides," stated Geoff Mathieux, CEO and Co-founder of Tickengo. "Tickengo drivers are volunteers (neighbors and members in the community) helping other regular people. Any money contributed by riders to drivers is to reimburse car ownership expenses."

The site allows drivers to get verified by submitting their license and insurance information and connecting to Tickengo through Facebook. Drivers must also view a passenger's profile before accepting a ride request. The community is available worldwide but marketing efforts will initially be focused in the Bay Area, especially San Francisco, where it is notoriously difficult to find a taxi and where taxis are very expensive.

The social ridesharing industry is very popular and collaborative transportation is growing very quickly within the fast-rising collaborative consumption space, with multiple apps and websites in the space launching in the past few months. Tickengo hopes to make its mark by allowing people to minimize their travel costs while cutting down their carbon footprint and getting to know their neighbors.