Date: 07/12/05 (Algorithms)    Keywords: software, technology, ebay

The benefits of carpooling are obvious, and I would like to highlight that we have the technology to enhance participation.

I see two fundamental challenges with carpooling:
1) Trust: How do I know this guy will actually pick me up, be on time, etc?
2) Knowledge of other local commuters

Implementing #1:
Before E-bay, it would be considered inconcievable that consumers could rate each other and provide services directly without mediation.
Yes, e-bay adds some mediation but only minimally to resolve financial disputes. (Ebay essentially provides the sidewalk in the global yard sale.) Allowing fellow commuters to rate each others' availability and reliability well suites the trust issue.
The Open Source community could easily build such a rating system.

Implementing #2:
Users provide frequent routes, and custom software matches possible local participants.
I know this software exists in algorithm communities, since students frequently write network traversal simulation software.

I theorize that this can ONLY be done Open Source since as privitazation means paying somewhere.
People will not feel comfortable providing home addresses etc to a private body since that equates to selling your identity.
(Regardless of what any Privacy/End User agreement says).

Thoughts?

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/community/algorithms/60498.html