“You select the resort, you’re going to your departure time from Denver or Boulder, wherever you’re starting addresses. And then the time that you plan to leave from the mountain and come back…“I see someone zero miles away, it probably means they’re in my building. And I open their Instagram and they have a lot of similar hobbies well, that might be someone I would then request a ride from them. It would send them a text message, they would open the app and either accept or reject me as a passenger.”-Lizzie Templeton, Founder of Caravan
Could a rideshare app solve Colorados’ I-70 problem during ski season? CBS Denver and 9 News reports three apps are hoping to do just that. Treadshare, Gondola, and Caravan hope to connect skiers who want to go up I-70 while limiting traffic and their emissions. Treadshare, which will be launched in late November 2021, and allow skiers to meet up with drivers that are going up. Drivers will get paid a commission for driving bringing skiers and riders up to the slopes, meaning skiers have to pay for the ride(albeit for not much money). Meanwhile, Caravan is completely free to use and is currently available to download. These apps follow a change in Colorado that originally required Carpool apps “to pay about $112,000 to the Public Utilities Commission.”
There are a few concerns about the app though. While it allows users to upload their social media accounts to demonstrate their authenticity, it doesn’t go the length as other rideshare apps do in terms of safety measures. The apps will not round background checks like Uber and Lyft, which could lead to some sketchy situations. I think it’s a good idea for some to use the app, but it definitely is something where some may be uncomfortable with the concept for understandable reasons.
You can view all the Carpool apps on Colorados’ I-70 page here. Gondola is another app that is listed on there, but the app has yet to be released (and was supposed to be released in October), and their social media pages haven’t posted anything since early 2020.
Image/Video Credits: CBS Denver, 9 News, Colorado Department of Transportation
