New rideshare program puts consumers back in driver’s seat

Coming from a family of 14, Mark Russell knows something about creative problem solving and how to share. The family car didn’t often leave the driveway until there was enough people and reasons to make any trip worthwhile. So it’s no wonder that the 13 years Russell spent commuting 50-plus miles from Graham, Wash., to Kirkland, Wash., got him thinking, ‘There has to be a better way to move people…and really fast.’ With a background in actual rocket science, it’s no wonder that the idea took off. Or at least it will very soon. Right now Zebigo—Russell’s on-demand ride sharing program that connects drivers and riders in real time, through proprietary matching software and mobile applications—is completing its “beta” stage and gearing up to go live mid-October in Seattle. Although Russell is based in Spokane, Zebigo also has an office in Seattle, where he chose to test launch the service. “With its growing traffic and congestion problems, we think Zebigo can help Seattle show the rest of the country how commuters and travelers can conserve money while lessening their impact on the environment,” said Russell. Whether it’s heading to work, across town for a concert or home for the holidays, Zebigo is designed to hook you up with a ride in less than two minutes. It works like this. You go online to Zebigo.com and set up an account (ages 18 and older); it can take a few minutes or a bit longer, depending on what you upload upon registration such as a picture, personal information and companion gender preferences. When you’re ready to link up a trip, click on either “Ride” or “Drive” in the “Request a Trip” box. Enter where you are and where you want to go and the Zebigo software and Web interface takes over, looking for a match with a “rider” or a “driver” going the same route. All details for the trip are relayed using email and texting, so that you know the first name and last initial of the person you’ll be riding with, when you’ll make the connection, and where you’ll be going. At this point, you can review the other person’s info and decide if you want to ride with them or not. You can also talk directly to the person via 888-4Zebigo. “Our goal is to turn your mobile phone into a set of keys, with security paramount to the design,” Russell says. Upon setting up an account, each user decides if they want their background checked. The service is available on the web site, currently for free. If a user chooses to have one done and it is successful, it will be noted on their profile; if a background check comes back with some negative flags, that user is not allowed to use the system. Other security measures include a rating system which details their overall rating, and their separate ratings as a driver and a rider. Each user also can block other users for whatever reason. “It’s a good idea to start the transaction by asking to see the driver’s current driver’s license and proof of insurance, which we require but we don’t check,” says Russell. “And if you don’t want a driver knowing where you live or work, walk to the corner or a neutral place for pick up.” If both parties agree to the rideshare, the rider pays 49 cents for the transaction and a designated rate per mile, ranging from approximately 11 to 50 cents. This way, drivers can make a little pocket change, all via Paypal. Generally, the cost of a trip is a little more than public transportation, but less than driving yourself and parking. Either party can cancel the ride at any time, with no fee. In addition to saving money, Zebigo can also help participants reduce their carbon footprints and use their time more constructively. “What really got me during my commute each day was the amount of wasted resources that I and so many other single drivers were expending, and the amount of wasted time spent in my car, just driving,” says Russell. “I would think of all the other things I could be doing, like reading or working on my laptop.” Russell received his master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford and has specialized in mechanical engineering and spacecraft dynamics at companies such as Boeing, Intel, Kistler Aerospace and Blue Origin. He also has two patents, another two pending, and is published on the subject of new vehicle rocket design. His Zebigo team of 14 comes largely from the aerospace industry, where they’ve solved technical problems ranging from intelligent database programming to launching satellites. Their combined background and knowledge have enabled them to bring to the table every possible scenario that could happen and apply solutions so Zebigo users can enjoy the utmost in rideshare convenience. Although ride sharing is nothing new, there are aspects to Zebigo that make it unique in comparison to programs like Zimride, PickupPal, GoLoco and Seattle’s RidePenguin. Russell says they typically don’t address the three major reasons why people aren’t sharing rides: time flexibility, ease of use, and ease of payment. Zebigo addresses all three. Privately funded to this point, the Zebigo team is currently looking for more funding to propel Zebigo upward and into the black. On October 4, the staff will compete as a semi-finalist in Clean Tech Open in Seattle for a chance at $100,000. “If you want to do well in green [tech] and time savings, you’ve got to make it profitable or it’s not sustainable,” Russell says. “I learned well from Jeff Bezos [founder of Blue Origin and Amazon.com]—you don’t bet the farm on one thing, you build a platform.” What does Zebigo mean? “Zebi” means “2 to the 70th power,” or “the power of 2 or more,” + “go,” the concept being that by taking advantage of the excess capacity in our cars for two or more people, we can take advantage of this kind of power to do great things such as help our environment, build a stronger sense of community, and at the same time, make valuable use of our time. “A question that was often asked around my house, growing up, was ‘What are you doing for the cause?’” Russell says. Now with Zebigo, it seems Russell is putting that question to all of us.