
The Last Bus Startup Standing: Chariot - doppp
http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/29/the-last-bus-startup-standing-chariot/
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mrdrozdov
I used Chariot to get to work in SOMA from the Marina since they launched (now
I live in NYC). The problem they're talking about is no joke. If they didn't
exist, I'd have to walk 10 blocks to get to an earlier stop on my line.
Alternatively, I'd walk 10min up a hill to get on a bus that took 45min to get
to my office, which was less than 3miles away from my apartment. When not
using Chariot, I ended up biking to work (about 30min) out of pure necessity.

There's unnecessary efficiency in the bus routes. Chariot's advantage for the
Marina to SOMA route is that the majority of people riding that bus route are
heading to SOMA, but the bus makes a lot of windy stops in China Town. There
should really be two lines, one that exclusively serves China Town from the
Marina, and one that exclusively serves SOMA. During rush hour, Chariot
adjusts its route based on traffic sometimes saving 10-20min a roundtrip. It
has the flexibility to do so since it bypasses China Town.

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chrisseaton
> I'd walk 10min up a hill to get on a bus that took 45min to get to my office

Why not just walk the 3 miles directly? It would take less than 55 mins for
sure.

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mrdrozdov
Google Maps indicates an hour walk. MapMyWalk show a 186 elevation gain, which
I suppose is not too terrible considering it gradually increases until about
the halfway point, and then gradually decreases. Add a laptop and hefty book
into the mix, and you've got yourself an equation for one sweaty commuter.

I've also used Scoot which gets me to work a little faster than Chariot, but
depends on there being scooters available and is more of a commitment than
Chariot given Scoot's subscription (Scoot is awesome though!). Quite a few of
my coworkers gave up on any sort of shared transit, and drive to work pretty
regularly.

As a comparison, it took me a little over an hour to get to work using the
CalTrain when I lived in Palo Alto and had a 35mile commute.

Another example would be going from Chelsea to the Lower East Side in NYC
(about the same distance as Marina to SOMA). Takes between 25-30min using the
subway on Google Maps.

[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chelsea,+New+York,+NY/Lower+...](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chelsea,+New+York,+NY/Lower+East+Side,+New+York,+NY/@40.730113,-74.0109428,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c259b082b8c8a7:0x2e54eb9ab02636f0!2m2!1d-74.0013737!2d40.7465004!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c2598015ac8beb:0x59b849fea56b6a70!2m2!1d-73.9842724!2d40.715033!3e3)

The Marina to SOMA takes closer to 40min, but that's assuming you can get on
the bus, which during rush hour is surprisingly difficult (like the article
refers, you might wait 3-5 buses to find one with space).

[https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Marina+District,+San+Francis...](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Marina+District,+San+Francisco,+CA/SoMa,+San+Francisco,+CA/@37.7922442,-122.4392007,14z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x89c2fa533fc767a3:0x663c92cc7cdbfe36!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x808580d79ae5a51b:0x3c50fe8f3930832!2m2!1d-122.4368151!2d37.8036667!1m5!1m1!1s0x80858083a662307b:0xfd99010c2dc1f950!2m2!1d-122.4056395!2d37.7785189!3e3)

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aaronbrethorst
Cheaper than paying for the gym.

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zhte415
OK, out of scope for what happens in San Francisco, but to put them on the map
a little in China and certainly related to bus startups:

pandabus.cn are a small startup that provide real-time bus mapping (i.e.,
where is my next bus going to arrive - public busses) and private busses
(either their own, or owned by someone else) for some cities in China. While
privately shared busses are an old thing, they're consolidating everything
together quite well and making it much more transparent.

I have no affiliation, other than being a user of their app, and while I've
not met them, I understand they're a small team of around 20 people based in a
technology building not far from me. Support your neighbours, etc.

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ucaetano
"Because Chariot is a consumer web and mobile startup with a direct
relationship to its users through an app"

It is hilarious how these companies are called "web and mobile startups".
People have been buying vans, buses and cars and running their own lines in
emerging markets for over half a century in a profitable and sustainable way,
and taking ride requests over SMS, WhatsApp and what not.

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daveguy
But those companies operating for half a century hadn't done it with a cell
phone app. It's like pets.com and their unique angle of doing business on the
web.

Ok, sarcasm aside, the article does point out a lot of quick-adaptation risk-
reducing operations -- from not "cowboying it" with the law to getting card
info from a critical mass before opening a route. It's an interesting read.
Looks like there's a reason they've gone more amazon than pets.com (although
it probably can't scale like amazon).

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ucaetano
I agree with that point, but that's just a different form of market research,
nothing new to see here. Instead of doing surveys over the phone or on the
street, they're using an app.

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theinternetman
Let's hope not for long, found that trend of "busses without the poor people"
a disgusting concept for a business.

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sevensor
I totally disagree with you, but I think this is an important point and you
shouldn't be getting downvotes for it. I ride a city bus pretty routinely,
although I don't live in SF. I would still ride the city bus if Chariot came
to town, but I think "busses without the poor people" might be a good way to
get the snobs you're sneering at onto transit and out of their private
vehicles.

