iPhone hits the road with Avego

13 Sep 2008

Mapflow's Avego is a new technology designed to fill ununsed seats in cars with paying passengers. By using iPhone and other mobile devices, Avego matches passengers and drivers through an easy-to-use system providing a financial incentive for commuters hit by high gasoline prices.

The Avego system described simply as ‘shared transport' enables a driver in transit to advertise excess capacity in this car using the new iPhone's GPS feature. This capacity is then matched to commuters who need to go in the same direction. To join the shared transport community, drivers and passengers can sign up for the beta at www.avego.com. Drivers need an iPhone; passengers can use either an iPhone or a regular mobile phone. Avego provides voice response, text messaging and web interfaces with real-time information for drivers and potential passengers to investigate and define the available transport capacity.

According to executive chairman of Mapflow and co-founder of MapInfo Sean O'Sullivan the goal of Avego is to turn every empty seat into a transport option for passengers, extending, feeding and augmenting the existing transportation network.

The system also monitors the positions of drivers and riders to ensure reliability of service and provide safety warnings.