Scoop: Great Idea...But Not for Me

Numerous articles have been written about traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It is a complex problem with no single solution. Several companies are trying to solve that problem.  Uber is probably the most famous of them all.  Another company called Scoop is trying a different tactic.  You request a carpool either the night before or days in advance, Scoop matches you with other people in your area, and then you take a ride, or drive, to work with these other people.

Here are some great things about Scoop:

1. As a rider, you don't have to drive your car alone.  Save on gas, wear and tear, and a little bit of the environment.
2. As a rider, it may be cheaper than a car payment if commuting to work is all you are using your car for.   At 10 dollars a day, at 22 days a month, that's just 220!  Your company may also be subsidizing part of it, which makes it even cheaper.
3. As a driver, you can use the carpool lane, which, in theory, will get you there faster. 

 Now, for the bad part:

1. While the concept of saving a little bit makes sense, you are at the mercy of travel times of other commuters. 
2.  In theory, it is cheaper than leasing a car.  However, there are still times when you need to drive yourself to work.  Also, because Scoop is just starting out, there may not be enough drivers in my area.  There may be some days that Scoop can't find a ride for you.  So if you didn't have a car, you will be stuck paying for Uber, which is more expensive.
3. Using the carpool lane is great on 101 in the morning.  It does save you quite a bit of time.  But in the afternoon, you save at most 10 minutes on a 1 hour commute.  That's not a lot in the grand scheme of things.  Also, not all of the Bay Area's freeways have carpool lanes, so the advantage disappears on those roads.

I tried Scoop with the intent to get rid of my car and end my car lease payments.  Because I can't leave for work at the same time every day, relying on other commuters does not work for me.  I have a very flexible schedule.  Sometimes, I have calls at 6 in the morning, so being ready for a 6:30 to 7:30AM ride is not always feasible.  Luckily, I can take those calls from home and drive in later.  Conversely, you may not be able to leave early as Scoop may find a later commute time for you.

Because of reason #2, I cannot fully rely on Scoop to take me to work every day.   I looked at their map of Scoop participants, and in my neighborhood, there were only a handful.  I'm sure this is not an insurmountable challenge as they try to get more people to sign up.  (You can actually get a $20 credit if you sign up and use my code: CLIFF8Y4.)

But the deal breaker for me is that I actually enjoy my drive to and from work, even if there was traffic.  Sure I don't like sitting for too long, but I can always adjust my time so that it doesn't take too long.  I listen to podcasts on my commute, and that serves two purposes: I learn a bit more and it makes the commute more bearable.

For those who don't care for driving and only see it as a means to get from point A to point B, and always leave at roughly the same time every day, Scoop may work.  I may use Scoop from time to time, I may even sign up to be a driver, but I won't be a regular user.