ingogo

Catching a taxi just got a whole lot easier.

Ever had that problem of getting stuck in the rain with no taxi in sight?  How about trying to catch a taxi late at night and they all appear to be zooming past you engaged. 

Sydney based startup Ingogo has decided to tackle this problem facing passengers and taxi drivers. New innovative web and mobile app that is changing the  taxi booking eco system which has been monopolized for years based on an outdated booking system. 

Using GPS technology, the ingogo mobile and online app allows direct interaction between the potential passenger and the nearest taxi driver. Potential passenger requests a taxi nearby and they can bid extra for a guaranteed pickup response. They also track and receives updates of the taxi's location and progress,  upon completion of the trip passenger pays the taxi driver.

On the other hand, removes wasted hours and gas for taxi drivers searching for passengers.

Ingogo is about to shake up the taxi industry in Australia by placing control between passengers and taxi drivers.

Spotted By: David Wesson

JustShareIt

Collaborative Consumption full force. JustShareIt is just what it says, just sharing it.

Founded on a touch of the envy principle and a fair bit more on the helping the environment one, JustShareIt has yet to hit alpha.

But their simple opening interface lends us to believe that JustShareIt want you to have what your neighbours have. Or at least access to their car, their motorbike, their SUV, or if it's that kind of neighbourhood, their boat.

Not a lot of content giving them away just yet, but their blog is a sweet mix of green conventions and personal testimonials. A GreenNet Conference visit sits amongst a housewife's tale of craving a convertible, or a tech nerd's eagerness to share his tech-pimped car.

Hot off the heels of our feature of Getaround, Techcrunch's star of the year, JustShareIt seem to drive a similar vein. But whilst Getaround stresses the practicality, by the hour metrics and car kits unlocked by iPhones. JustShareIt seem to take a more friendly stance, neighbour's the word and sharing for the greater good of your community the core.

Private Jets for All!

Ever wanted to fly off in your own private jet, well Social Flights is addressing that dream for the everyday man and woman.

An online platform that connects individuals with similar flight plans or interests and builds private flights around those points.

You can either log in your travel details, which gets matched up to others thinking the same thing. Or meet the others out there who love sunbathing and organise a trip that way. These groups of people get pooled together and are able to book a private jet through Social Flights' partnered planes.

So though not exactly the stereotypical man on plane with personal air steward/ess Social Flights does lend an enabling hand to those sick of terminal hallways, immigration queues, missed meetings and the such.

Currently with a database mostly made of US residing individuals, the network counts people from over 30 US cities.

So if you're elsewhere, we'd love to suggest that you get on that database and get these private jets public. In use, and off the ground for all.

Earn As You Holiday or CitizenShipper

That’s not exactly what CitizenShipper are going for. They go more for the ‘earn money out of delivery jobs’ schtick. Decidedly less ‘sexy’, as they say, but to the point nevertheless.

CitizenShipper offer an online platform where those who need something delivered (The ‘Shipper’) and those that can do the delivering (The ‘Driver’) can connect, and get the transaction/service going.

The platform doesn’t charge a commission or connection fees. How they do earn their cash is through the USD14.99 that ‘Shippers’ need to pay per month to be able to ‘bid’ for jobs.

At this point, the service limits itself to California, and the transportation mode to vehicles. But what would happen if CitizenShipper were able to connect international ‘shippers’ and ‘shippees’? Could it be an courier version of Airbnb at play? If goods were precious enough and ‘shippees’ came verified, could it result in verified couriers and round the world tickets all paid for?

‘Anyone can join’ a bolded up sentence on the site assures that those applying for ‘Driver’ status needn’t have commercial licenses.

But what if CitizenShipper decided to up some ratings for their ‘shippees’ and got some reviews written per delivery?

Lots of ways to grow this. CitizenShipper, certainly an idea spotted worth exploring.

Scooter Angels

It’s 1AM, you drank too much, you drove, parking’s going to cost a fortune overnight. Scooter Angels to the rescue! Scooter Angels are a team of scooter riders whom at the end of your night, pop their scooter into your trunk, drive you home and ride off again on said scooter. You’re home, car in tact, you in tact and a taxi ride fare lighter. An online calculator calculates a quote. You can also call their hotline for one or to book from days ahead up to 30 minutes before you need them. Now available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane the Scooter Angels have identified their ideal market in their statement ‘families with young ones’. Parents who still want a little party whilst maintaining the security of their kids, themselves and their cars. All drivers are over 30 years of age, need to weigh less then 100kg (so they fit on the scooters) and own their own motor cycle helmet, gloves and mobile phone with GPS capability. Seems that Scooter Angels have a whilst to go before they slick into stocking their drivers with company helmets and a reliable GPS unit. But nevertheless they provide an insured straightforward service that proves purpose. Being of value to a sector whom don’t want to rely on public transport and who treasure their cars, licenses and themselves. Dual pathways of booking, online, and hotline prove convenient to those who plan. But one would imagine that there’s a section of the market uncatered for, whom could be left fumbling at midnight with giving accurate locations, or adequate credit card/money access. A service such as Scooter Angels could benefit from taking on perhaps a more smartphone route, an app already linked to a credit card, or a pay by call credit system.