The Waze Carpool app may be a newcomer in the ride-hailing race but Google surely knows how to make it more passenger-friendly. In a new update, the Uber competitor in the US brings a couple of features that make it better than any carpool service.
Google on Monday released the latest Waze Carpool update aiming to optimise app usage. Riders can now schedule rides in advance, allowing them to book up to seven days of rides in one request.
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Waze Carpool also adds the "Find me a ride back" button to request a roundtrip ride to destination and back to starting point. On top of that, Google features a price breakdown on each ride through the 'more information' icon so passengers have an idea before booking a ride. Overall, minor bug fixes and enhancements have been rolled out.
Android users can download the update via APK Mirror.
Since Waze Carpool's launch in May, Google's service has been giving Uber and Lyft a good competition. Unlike its major competitors, Waze Carpool limits payments, and drivers are only allowed a maximum of two rides per day.
This is to make sure drivers will not make Waze Carpool a full-time gig. In a previous interview with CNBC, Waze Carpool head Josh Fried said the efforts of Google in the transportation industry is meant to accommodate the unique needs of the users, a difference it has from Google Maps and carpooling competitors.
"The key is, we are all focused on our individual users and what they need," says Fried. "Google Maps does an amazing job at mapping the whole world. Waze is all about drivers — there are no sidewalks on our maps."
