As traffic in Vietnamese cities continues to get worse, one group of local graduates is using the power of technology to help alleviate the influx of motorbikes on Saigon's streets.
PinBike, created by local residents Huynh Phuong Duy, Le Van Tai and Nguyen Thanh An, is a ride-sharing app specifically geared toward students, reports Tuoi Tre. Since its debut, the app has been downloaded 1,000 times.
Available on Google Play and Apple's AppStore, it functions almost exactly like other popular transportation apps, such as Uber and GrabTaxi. However, instead of charging riders for each trip, PinBike operates as a carpooling platform, connecting drivers and riders traveling in the same direction for free in an effort to help decrease the number of vehicles on the road.
To secure a ride, users input their destination into the app, which then assigns each rider a driver. Once the two parties have been paired up, PinBike's chat function allows the ride and driver to connect prior to meeting in person. While the app does not currently employ security screenings, its founders say this chat function has gone a long way to attracting more people, as PinBike users are able to chat with their drivers or riders in advance.
Though reception has been largely positive so far, Duy and Tai, alumni from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, and An, a HCMC University of Foreign Languages-Information Technology graduate, hope to continue improving the app in future.
“To ensure users will have the best experiences, our group always keeps working to improve the app’s function of searching for and matching passengers’ routes,” he told Tuoi Tre.
[Photo via PinBike]
