Whatever your favorite travel app — HopStop, Google Maps, Uber — RideScout probably has it beat. The app-of-all-trades, Atlantic Cities reports, covers basically any mode of transit you could think of — “transit, taxi, car-share, cycling, walking, driving,” or, as RideScout puts it, “public, private, and social ride options.” And it does way more than just tell you your options. It gives you the time each will take. It gives you the cost or calories it will burn. And, Atlantic Cities writes:
In Washington, D.C., where the app launched in November, RideScout informs users how many empty slots are at the nearest Capital Bikeshare station. It just added real-time bus information and a feature that will ping you when it’s time to leave for the stop (and, once on board, when it’s time to wake up and request a stop).
Joseph Kopser, a RideScout co-founder, has plenty of ways to help you wrap your mind around how cool this is. He told Atlantic Cities he compares RideScout to Kayak or the phone book. But on the app’s Tumblr, one user calls RideScout “the Tinder of transportation,” because “Like the typical Tinder user, you can be picky on RideScout, perusing your transportation matches based on their profiles and shared interests. Looking for a cheap transit date for the night? Sort your options by price and find the ride most aligned with your cash-strapped self.”
The RideScout team is hoping that, in the long term, they can show people that cars aren’t always the best option. And when you’ve got four or five other choices staring right at you, you’re that much more likely to realize that, hey, it probably isn’t.
