How to Start a Carpool Service Business
With
the rising cost of gas and increased costs of living, more
commuters are opting to carpool to work. It's also a popular
option because of the environmental benefits, reducing the
number of cars on the road.
With the right
entrepreneurial attitude and some business acumen, you can
capitalize on this demand, and create your very own car pool
service.
What does a carpool service
involve?
It really depends on the type and scale
of service you intend to provide. If you are looking to creating
something online, you can launch a carpool social network site,
where commuters can register and locate others who work in the
same building or area. You can charge an annual or monthly fee
for the service.
Similarly, you can develop a
mobile app through which people can locate and contact other
commuters, and sell the app for a small charge.
If, on
the other hand, you choose to build an offline model, your
business would cost more, but be more personal. With a mid to
large sized car or high occupancy vehicle, you can run a
business week car pool service, and book clients in your city or
town. This is also possible for a school carpool. For example,
if you service college students who need to commute to college,
you can run a service during school hours, and charge a daily or
weekly fee for pick-up and drop-off.
Getting
Started
If you go the online option, you'll need
an interactive website with advanced web features such as Web
2.0 and chatting/messaging features. Your mobile app would
complement the website platform, and you'd need to incorporate a
payment system for accepting subscriptions on both platforms.
Prior to getting started, you're going to need to find a
professional website developer to create a user-friendly design
and test all the features. You would have to run the website as
a free service initially to generate interest and build up
traffic, as well as to capture user feedback on bugs,
improvements and feature requests.
If the offline option
is more attractive to you, then you'll need your own vehicle for
servicing clients. You'll also need at least a cell phone for
people to contact you. You can have a website to advertise your
services, and promote yourself in community newspapers,
noticeboards, and churches.
You can grow this business in
time, by adding more vehicles, and hiring drivers. Of course,
you'd need to have the proper insurances and have your clients
sign the appropriate waiver forms.
Both business models
are quite different, but both meet the same demand for carpool
services.
