Google Expanding Waze Carpool Service to Take on Uber, Lyft

Google plans to take on Uber by rolling out Waze’s carpooling service to major cities in the United States and Latin America.

Although Google’s Waze offering will provide travelers with the option of sharing a ride with another driver, the service isn’t quite the same as popular ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft.

Waze’s carpooling system slightly differs from services like Uber and Lyft. While Uber is essentially a taxi service, Waze’s app allows drivers to share their vehicle with riders looking to travel to the same destination.

Because of this distinction, Waze carpool rides can be significantly cheaper. According to Mary Beth Quirk at The Consumerist, “a trip from downtown Oakland to downtown San Francisco cost a Waze user $4.50 to carpool, while the same route using UberPool and Lyft Line cost $10.57 and $12.40, respectively.”

At this point, Waze doesn’t take a cut of the driver’s earnings. Waze CEO Noam Bardin warned that this could quickly change if the service were to grow in popularity. In that case, an additional 15 percent fee would be charged to riders.

Unlike Uber or Lyft, Waze carpoolers must request their ride hours in advance, which makes the service less convenient for travelers.