Matchmaking for Solo Commuters

–>Who:  Ignacio Cordero, co-founder of…
–> What: … Aventones, a private ride-sharing platform for large organizations, like corporations and universities, to facilitate carpools between employees or students.
–> How: Listen to this interview, learn more about Aventones, and follow them onFacebook and Twitter (@aventones).
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On her journey to spotlight the people and organizations that are making the world move in new and exciting ways, Sonia Chokshi talks to Ignacio Cordero, co-founder of Aventones, at SOCAP’12.
In Mexico, most people spend around two hours in their car driving to work or school, and almost all of them drive alone. Aventones links up these solo commuters to make traveling more efficient and enjoyable, driving down CO2 emissions while increasing social interaction. To ensure safety, the platform is open privately within a large organization, and allows coworkers and fellow students to easily find carpools. So far, 20 organizations are on board.
For Aventones, the largest hurdle has been customer education. Ride-sharing is a new concept and a significant change of behavior for many of Aventones’ users, so the Aventones team incorporates several efforts to promote understanding of whyride-sharing really matters. Ultimately, they aim to create a culture where carpooling is the norm.
Soon, Aventones will be going social, and will be open to the general public. Through Facebook, you’ll be able to find and coordinate rides with your friends and acquaintances through a quick and easy online tool. And maybe one day, commuting alone will be a thing of the past.
Learn more about Aventones, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@aventones).
 
This article is a part of a series produced at SOCAP12 by New Empire Builders. New Empire Builders is a SOCAP12 media partner.