Think about it. Rarely do we see pedestrians outside of the downtown and campus areas hoofing to their destinations, and we see less as many bicyclists in comparison to the big hunks of metal we drive and ride in daily. Cars have become such a basic need in our nation that most of our income goes into their purchase, maintenance and function.
However, as the prevalent paradigm makes a shift to greener pastures, it seems that more people are veering toward the idea of carpooling. There are even carpool matching services in existence in order to form groups of drivers and passengers. Yet, while there are advantages and disadvantages to the idea of carpooling, for personal, economic and environmental reasons, isn't the idea of getting into the car with a stranger you were 'matched' with just a fancy way of renaming hitchhiking? GoLoco.org does not think so.
GoLoco is an Internet-based social networking community aimed to create instant carpools. Users create a profile, much like that of popular networking sites MySpace.com and Facebook.com, and are matched with others who will share a travel route. One would think, with the ever-rising gas prices, GoLoco would be a perfect idea, right? Almost.
The obvious benefits to a community such as GoLoco are abating the aforementioned rising gas prices, as well as emissions. With projected totals reaching $4 per gallon by mid-May, drivers simply cannot breathe the fumes of plunking down any more money on fuel. And while we tend to prefer a single or double-occupancy ride, the idea of cutting costs by sharing the expense is becoming appealing. Never mind the fact that increasing carpooling would lead to an overall less amount of cars on the road, thereby lowering gas emissions and helping to save our endangered environment. Other benefits, of course, include less-congested roadways, possible faster travel due to being allotted use of the carpool lane, and less trouble finding a parking space.
However, it seems that the costs outweigh the benefit of GoLoco, at the moment, mostly due to the issue of trust. Sure, you can easily post your destination upon the GoLoco Web site and presumably grab a ride with someone traveling in that same direction (or even to the exact same destination, i.e. work, school, shopping malls, etc), but do you really know who you are riding with? GoLoco has gone to lengths thus far in an attempt to make their community safe. Not only do users post a profile of their likes and dislikes (make sure you have the same taste in music), as well as a photo, but they are also required to speak into their computer microphone and leave a voice sample to give potential ride-sharers a glimpse into their personality. Users can rate each other, trust-wise, in order to let others in the community know who is linked amongst them. Further, users who have ridden with each other write a review of their experience, including their ride-mates' behavior for other users to determine who will or will not be a potential ride-sharer in the future.
With as many precautions as GoLoco seems to have taken in the early stages, the idea of getting into the car with someone who is a stranger ties my stomach in knots. I am already leery when it comes to traveling in general, with panic attacks looming during heavy traffic and weather conditions, and prefer the company of those I am familiar with and trust prior to getting into the vehicle. I am reminded of my Mother's words from my childhood, which have echoed in my head since I heard of GoLoco: "Do not just hop into the car with anyone. You never know what could happen. I am also reminded of gory '80s slasher flicks that detail picking up a passenger who ends up in a pool of their own blood. For me