Hitching A Ride

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

On those long cross country rides, some of us may hope to pick up a hitchhiker, or hitchhikeress. Seems to be a dying breed though. An app will fill that gaping void. SideCar, an on-demand ride-sharing app, lets users request a ride by indicating where they would like to be picked up and dropped off”, Reuters says. The app of San Francisco-based SideCar matches riders with drivers. The passenger can pay the driver, or not. Payment is optional. It’s more a social thing anyway. “It’s fascinating the people you meet, and a lot of people are drawn to it for that reason,” says Blake Wirht, marketing director of SideCar. “But there are a lot of people that drive for SideCar to offset their costs of vehicle ownership.”


Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Pch101 Pch101 on Jul 09, 2012

    I'm not much of a Boston fan, but "Hitch a Ride" must have one of the best rock guitar solos ever: youtube.com/watch?v=FnXt-3gYy4I

  • ClutchCarGo ClutchCarGo on Jul 09, 2012

    How do people deal with the liability issue here? The moment that you take any recompense for giving someone a ride, your auto insurance almost certainly stops coverage (since you're now a commercial vehicle). I think that you also run afoul of the law governing commercial vehicles and licensing. The same holds true for AirBnB when renting a room in your home.

    • See 2 previous
    • Joeveto3 Joeveto3 on Jul 10, 2012

      @Syke Amen Brother.

  • GS650G GS650G on Jul 09, 2012

    Washington DC has an unofficial hitching program outside the office buildings where drivers pick up riders so they can use the HOV lanes. Many I spoke with use this every day to get to a train or bus stop, or even their homes. So far no one has disappeared without a trace.

    • El scotto El scotto on Jul 09, 2012

      They're called "slug lines" and the Pentagon even has a dedicated pick up area for drivers and slugs to meet. I never had to, always lived inside the beltway. On soap box: I think the Pentagon has a decent example of how slug lines, buses from all locations, and the Metro are combined to provide public transportation. Off soap box. Clutch, I think it's nuanced between I'm driving to Chicago on this day and need 20$ for gas vice I'm going to Chicago over Thanksgiving break, gas money would be appreciated. Yeah I know lawyers will have a field day either way.

  • Patrickj Patrickj on Jul 09, 2012

    I've been both a hitchhiker and the person giving the ride in the past 3 months, and I'm still alive and un-sued.

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