A service that allows you to search for local rides

Nov 22, 2006 15:43 GMT  ·  By

How often does it happen to you to look for a taxi, but all vehicles are busy so you're forced to wait for a free one? Well, this is quite frustrating, ,but Google tries to help us and offers an innovative service that will help us find the perfect ride for our needs.

"Google Ride Finder takes a new approach to helping users find a ride: showing you where the vehicles are. We work closely with a variety of companies to get this information, then we present it in the form of a map of your area, complete with little balloons (color-coded by company) to represent each vehicle's up-to-date location. Based on this info, you then just call the provider you've chosen to reserve a ride."

This service is updated very often, most of the information being updated every 5 minutes. Google Ride Finder is available only in USA, but the company promises that the service will be expanded very soon.

"The dispatching of vehicles is a complicated process which varies greatly from city to city and company to company. The company you contact may choose to send an alternate vehicle. When you speak with a specific dispatcher, he or she should be able to give you the most accurate information on your estimated pick up time," Google added.