- How does Google Ride Finder work?
- How up to date is the information?
- Am I seeing only available vehicles?
- I see a vehicle close by, will that vehicle be dispatched to me?
- Does Ride Finder work everywhere?
- Does Ride Finder monitor the location of individual users?
- How do I get my business' cabs, shuttles, limousines or other vehicles to show up on Ride Finder?
- My business is listed, but the information is incorrect. Who will right this wrong?
- Where can I learn more about the maps being used?
- I can't get the maps to work. Is it my web browser?
- Ride Finder isn't doing what I expected? Who needs to know?
| About Ride Finder |
Are you looking for a ride to an airport, theater, party, store, work or any place else? Do you feel like finding the right company is a bit of a shot in the dark? Worried about getting picked up in a timely fashion or whether the company has vehicles in the area?
With Google Ride Finder, you can search for taxis, limousines and shuttles and make better decisions by seeing the exact location of vehicles in your area. Just enter a zip code, the name of a city or even a specific address. You will get a map showing the companies and where their vehicles are located.
| Frequently Asked Questions |
1. How does Google Ride Finder work?
Google Ride Finder takes a new approach to helping users find a ride: showing you where the vehicles are. We work closely with a variety of companies to get this information, then we present it in the form of a map of your area, complete with little balloons (color-coded by company) to represent each vehicle's up-to-date location. Based on this info, you then just call the provider you've chosen to reserve a ride.
2. How up to date is the information?
We work to get the most up to date information we can. Most of our information is less than 5 minutes old.
3. Am I seeing only available vehicles?
Ride Finder handles a variety of vehicle types: taxis, limousines and shuttles. We work to show you which vehicles are available for hire. Note, however, that in some cases, "available vehicles" might already have passengers (in the case of shared-ride services).
4. I see a vehicle close by, will that vehicle be dispatched to me?
The dispatching of vehicles is a complicated process which varies greatly from city to city and company to company. The company you contact may choose to send an alternate vehicle. When you speak with a specific dispatcher, he or she should be able to give you the most accurate information on your estimated pick up time.
5. Does Google Ride work everywhere?
For now, Ride Finder is a labs product which is only available in a few metro areas in the United States. As we develop and improve this service, we plan on expanding it to locations throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world.
6. Does Google Ride monitor the location of individual users?
No, Google Ride Finder doesn't identify passengers in any of the vehicles we display through our service.
7. How do I get my business's cabs, shuttles, limousines or other vehicles to show up on Ride Finder?
To
inquire about
adding your business to Google Ride
Finder
just complete this short form.
For information about adding your web site to Google, please review Google Information for Webmasters.
Google
does not accept payment
for inclusion of sites in our index, nor for improving the rank of
sites in our results. We do offer locally
targeted ads through our AdWords
program on the main Google search results page. These ads are
clearly labeled as sponsored links.
8. My business is listed, but the information is incorrect. Who will right this wrong?
To update your
business's information in Google Ride Finder, send an email
to labs+ridefinderfleet@google.com
and we'll fix the listing.
For incorrect information on web pages, please review Google Information for Webmasters.
9. Where can I learn more about the maps being used?
The maps we use in Google Ride
Finder have many of
the features of Google Maps (http://maps.google.com),
an online service
that allows users in the U.S. and Canada to navigate through maps, find
location information and get directions quickly and easily. With Google
Maps
you can click and drag to view adjacent sections; no more long waits
while new areas download. To learn more about Google Maps, try the Google Maps tour.
10. I can't get the maps to work. Is it my web browser?
We're
sorry the maps in Google Ride Finder aren't
working properly for you. Google Ride Finder currently supports the
following web browsers:
- IE 5.5+ (download: Windows)
- Firefox 0.8+ (download: Windows Mac Linux)
- Netscape 7.1+ (download: Windows Mac Linux)
- Mozilla 1.4+ (download: Windows Mac Linux)
If you're using one of these browsers and still can't get Google Ride Finder to work, please let us know by emailing us at labs+ridefinder@google.com.
11. Ride Finder isn't doing what I expected. Who needs to know?
If you notice any problems with the service or have ideas on how to make the service better, please email us at labs+ridefinder@google.com and let us know what you're seeing or what you'd like to see. Your feedback is crucial to our efforts to continually improve Ride Finder. It's got a ways to go, and your ideas, comments, and suggestions will help us get there faster.
