Growing concern over the state of the planet coupled with financial strain brought by the economic turmoil is leading many people to look at alternative ways to get around. One of these is carpooling and although the concept is not new the use of mass collaboration makes it much more efficient.

A number of sites have sprung up to help match drivers with riders. One of the more interesting initiatives has been organized by the Government of Massachusetts. Called MassRIDES the site has a database of 15 000 profiles complete with information on each person’s commute which are used to match people going in the same direction. A host of startups are also exploring the space of “social commuting” by developing communities around ride sharing. Some, such as GoLoco or Zimride rely on the social graph to create groups of friends who carpool. Others such as PickupPal or Carticipate, use geopositioning – either mobile or computer based – to match people. In large cities, services such as Zipcar and Connect by Hertz are establishing car sharing networks using company-owned fleets of cars.

The obvious benefits are motivating many people to join these networks, with the Net Generation leading the way. (As they are less likely to own a car and more likely to be comfortable with the social networking aspect of the various services) Although major investments in public transport are now being planned in many Western countries, it is unlikely that we will be rid of cars anytime soon. Till then making better use of what’s already on the road by using IT enabled mass collaboration seem like a good way to save costs while being friendlier to the planet.