Hop-in

ride-sharing service

Milan, Italy. December 2006

A ride-sharing service that facilitates on-demand encounters between drivers(with their own cars) and ride-seekers.The service involves the city as an active player providing benefits to the driver as well as security to the users. The service enhances the social in-car encounters between drivers & seekers.

Brief
Explore the research framework of SMART MOBILITY intended as a complex system that includes at least three main elements: 1 the VEHICLE as the main interface between human beings and services; 2 the INFORMATION and SERVICE NETWORK as enabler of personal/social activities;3 the ENVIRONMENT, the physical infrastructure intended as a connective tissue linking personal behaviours and network.

Objective
Transform the car ride into a new social platform. Reducing car usage among cities
Efficiently distributing values for all the key players of the service (the city, ride givers and ride seekers)
Democratic, open source ideals. Free, trust and reputation based economy
Safe and practical benefits. Social - meeting new people, sharing and giving
On demand and ubiquitous p2p supported network

Scenario
in this scenario you can see a day in the life of little Judy. She just found out about hop-in and she tries it out. First by logging into the service, looking for a ride, and finally enjoying the ride. On the other hand, Rachel is the ride-giver that its on it's way shopping and she finds out she has some extra time. Rachel then decides to broadcast herself as available, and later on she picks up Judy. Rachel obtains a more pleasant driving experience and she gains points for municipality use (free parking, discount on tolls, etc).