Rule No. 1: Don’t get into cars with strangers.
Rule No. 2: Disregard rule No. 1 when using Sidecar, a ridesharing app for iPhone and Android that’s generating some controversy. (We’ll get to that later.)
Open the app and input where you want to go. Up pops a map of available Sidecars in your area and the suggested donation for your trip, which can be paid by credit card through the app.
“Suggested donation?” you ask. Well, that’s the controversial part. Technically, all Sidecar trips are free (in order to differentiate between operating as a taxi service and a ridesharing company). Donations are the way around that, though some cities – like New York and Philadelphia – aren’t buying it.
For riders in other cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago, to name a few), Sidecar is an opportunity to get around cheaply – or even make some dough as a driver, all of whom are pre-vetted for safety, tracked by GPS, and covered by a $1 million dollar insurance policy.
Not so different than those taxi-driving “strangers” currently chauffeuring you around town.