Ridesharing isn’t a new concept, but technology is morphing it in ways that bring the benefits to many more people. You don’t need to be part of a group to find carpool partners anymore, and you don’t have to stick to the same old schedule. As the digital age rolls along, so do ridesharing drivers and passengers, with the help of the following websites:

Ridester.com

With advanced route matching, personalized profiles, email & text message alerts, feedback-ratings, and easy online payments, sharing travel costs has never been so easy!

Ridester offers the standard online model for “secure” ride swapping. You enter your destination – either as a driver or passenger – and find other people who are going the same way. Your information stays private while you decide whether to make a match or not. Drivers aren’t expected to foot the whole bill. In fact, payments are made online during the matching period. For the rides that don’t take place, everything is refunded. There’s also a feedback system to see who is a conscience host, who drags their feet, and who is just a pleasure to do business with. However, this is one of few companies that admits there’s a risk:

Ridester provides a feedback system to foster a more dependable community. However, dependability does not equal safety. Safety is YOUR responsibility. Using Ridester involves the same inherent risks as ridesharing via regular rideshare sites. Ridester does not verify users’ identities, run background checks, or check drivers’ licenses and insurance. Furthermore, Ridester does not endorse traveling with any particular Ridester member. We strongly encourage you to exercise caution and common sense when ridesharing via Ridester or elsewhere.

GishiGo.com

Though very similar to Ridester, but in order to cut down on deadbeat requests, they require a 99¢ deposit whenever you post an offer or request. They were highly recommended by riders posting at CoolPeopleCare.org.

The site is also dedicated to helping the police track down any criminals that misuse their service to harm other people.

GoLoco.org

A new facebook application, GoLoco is just another example of how social networking online is branching out into the real world – to help the real world.

There are several ridesharing services online, many of which allow for cellphone interaction, and almost all of them take a portion of the ride cost, or a small flat fee, for setting up the ride. You can find rides through other means as well, like Craigslist, but some services provide more in terms of safety and privacy than an anonymous classifieds list.

Post from: EveryJoe

Do you Rideshare?