Photo: USPTO
Ford has come up with a rather unusual yet intriguing way to improve ridesharing services. What if instead traveling alone, you also take someone else in the car and then receive points for using the service more efficiently?
The American carmaker calls the new approach a “shared ride-hail service platform gaming experience,” explaining in a recent patent that it could help improve the service and provide health benefits to the customer.
First and foremost, Ford’s idea comes down to a ridesharing service that can pick up more than just one customer at once. The master app would be specifically designed for efficient travel, so clients would be selected based on their routes.
Ford’s reward system kicks in when the passengers are already in the car. They can earn special points based on their routes by requesting the driver to stick with the main roads. As such, the vehicle would no longer have to enter small streets, with the app generating another route for customers to reach the destination. The provided guidance can include walking, jogging, electric scooters, or other modes of transportation.
In other words, ridesharing customers would no longer have the driver drop them off right in front of the address. Instead, the vehicle would remain on the main road, while customers would continue the last segment of the journey using other methods.
Ford says the system would produce major benefits on several fronts. On the one hand, it helps improve customers’ physical shape. On the other hand, it also reduces the overall environmental impact of the service. Lastly, such a platform makes ridesharing services more efficient, as they can reach their destination faster.
Customers would earn points whenever they pick this travel mode. The application would specifically offer the gamification feature to customers with the same interests and objectives, such as improving the physical shape or reducing the carbon footprint.
The earn points can then be used on the platform as well. The application can deduct points when the efficient travel mode is ignored, with the patent suggesting that ridesharing platforms can otherwise add an extra fee for customers. As such, when you run out of points, you could end up paying more because you want the drop-off point to be right at the address.
At the end of the day, everybody wins if the customer ends up enrolling in the gamification program. The route would no longer include deviations from faster roads, eventually improving fuel efficiency and allowing for faster travel times, while customers would earn points for walking a few minutes to their address.
The idea is still in the patent stage, and given how these things work, Ford will probably need years to figure out if it’s worth investing in.
First and foremost, Ford’s idea comes down to a ridesharing service that can pick up more than just one customer at once. The master app would be specifically designed for efficient travel, so clients would be selected based on their routes.
Ford’s reward system kicks in when the passengers are already in the car. They can earn special points based on their routes by requesting the driver to stick with the main roads. As such, the vehicle would no longer have to enter small streets, with the app generating another route for customers to reach the destination. The provided guidance can include walking, jogging, electric scooters, or other modes of transportation.
In other words, ridesharing customers would no longer have the driver drop them off right in front of the address. Instead, the vehicle would remain on the main road, while customers would continue the last segment of the journey using other methods.
Ford says the system would produce major benefits on several fronts. On the one hand, it helps improve customers’ physical shape. On the other hand, it also reduces the overall environmental impact of the service. Lastly, such a platform makes ridesharing services more efficient, as they can reach their destination faster.
Customers would earn points whenever they pick this travel mode. The application would specifically offer the gamification feature to customers with the same interests and objectives, such as improving the physical shape or reducing the carbon footprint.
The earn points can then be used on the platform as well. The application can deduct points when the efficient travel mode is ignored, with the patent suggesting that ridesharing platforms can otherwise add an extra fee for customers. As such, when you run out of points, you could end up paying more because you want the drop-off point to be right at the address.
At the end of the day, everybody wins if the customer ends up enrolling in the gamification program. The route would no longer include deviations from faster roads, eventually improving fuel efficiency and allowing for faster travel times, while customers would earn points for walking a few minutes to their address.
The idea is still in the patent stage, and given how these things work, Ford will probably need years to figure out if it’s worth investing in.
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