At AltWheels Boston 2007, I had an interesting conversation with Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar and founder of GoLoco. In the video above, Robin talks about GoLoco, a Facebook web app that allows you to share rides and share the cost of travel with friends online. Robin says ride sharing reduces the cost of travel which, on average, makes up a fifth of a household budget.

Below the fold are two more videos of Robin. In the first video, Robin talks about mandatory GPS in cars. Robin thinks mandatory GPS wireless in cars is just 5 years away but that this is a good thing and it can be made private. In the second video below the fold, Robin talks about something she thinks the press is not reporting enough: We have to level off our carbon emissions with massive efforts before a "tipping point" of 2015.

GoLoco isn't the only online car pooling site (Craig's List is the obvious biggie and there's also NuRide), but it's certainly trying to make finding drivers going your way (if you're a passenger) or riders to bring along and help pay for gas (if you're a driver) easier.

As colleges around the country let out for summer vacation, GoLoco reminds students to try and coordinate rides home. Considering about "Seventy-five percent of all passenger cars on the road transport only one person at any given time, resulting in a vast waste of gasoline, money and time with friends," as Robin Chase, founder and CEO of GoLoco said in a statement, "All those empty seats also represent a huge opportunity: Fill them with friends and save gas, money and the environment. GoLoco makes that easy through its trusted online travel community that helps turn your social network into a ride network."

GoLoco tries to not just post ride offers and wants, but also to give a profile of users so you can ride along with someone who shares your interest (going to the game? take a fellow fan along). The site also coordinates and distributes money, so there's no cash exchanging hands in the car. For students, GoLoco is suggesting finding fellow classmates to split cab rides to the airport or moving trucks headed in the same direction. Sounds like a good idea to me.

GoLoco isn't Chase's first alternative to the one-person, one-car model; she also founded ZipCar.

[Source: GoLoco]