Can These New Startups Convince Americans to Carpool?

Americans don’t carpool. The proportion of U.S. commuters who share rides peaked at about 20 percent in the 1970s, and it’s less than half that today. In Europe, carpooling app BlaBlaCar is worth $1.5 billion. In the U.S., where gas is much cheaper, nobody’s created a breakout app that matches drivers with riders for long trips. The last serious effort, a service called Zimride aimed at college students, came about a decade ago. Its founders eventually put the idea aside to start Lyft, which along with Uber has made people more comfortable with digital ride hailing.

In the past year, a series of startups has arisen to give carpooling a fresh chance. “It’s no longer weird to get in the car with a stranger,” says Jonathan Sadow. “If Zimride had started in 2014 instead of in 2007, it would have been wildly successful.”