Young entrepreneurs Daniel Logan and Anthony Pizanias often wondered why people wouldn't drive share.
Surveys repeatedly showed that the overwhelming majority of commuters drive to and from work on their own.
However, the two graduates, who both gained commerce degrees at Charles Darwin University, could see that splitting fuel and parking costs would save ride sharers money - in some cases, thousands of dollars a year.
It would also be good for the environment by slashing the number of vehicles on the road.
So Daniel and Darwin-born Anthony developed their own ride-sharing Mobi app with a Business Innovation Support Initiatives voucher and grant from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade.
“The grant and voucher made this possible,” said Daniel. “We couldn’t have done it otherwise.”
Daniel and Anthony said the Mobi app suits all commuters, but particularly those with long drives to and from work, such as people living in Darwin’s rural region.
They expect it to do well in Sydney and Melbourne, where soaring property prices have forced people to move farther and farther from the city, and hope the ride-sharing app will be used throughout Australia.
For instance, 12,000 people commute the 75km from Geelong to Melbourne every day, a journey that can take at least 90 minutes during rush hours.
And parking in the centre of Melbourne costs about $20 a day, making the cost of commuting more than $150 a week or $6,900 a year for a 46-week year. Add on the rising cost of fuel prices and driving solo doesn't make economic sense.
“The app is a simple way to save a lot of money,” said Daniel. “Commuters complain long and loud about how much it costs to run their car.
“When I was down south I used to travel into the city by train and complain about it being overcrowded. Ride sharing is a good solution.
“We want to change the way people think about commuting.”
Anthony said the app includes an 'interests' page to match ride sharers with common interests.
The app is free to download and they have brought in Darwin-based IT expert Sandeep Damodaran to develop the app while they concentrate on the business side.
