Stories from the Road – Pay It Forward

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It’s no secret that posting your seats on Zimride can earn you a few extra bucks. It may not buy you a trip to Spain, but it can go further than you think. Meet Helen and Sarah. These two SF natives showed us how Zimriders take the extra step in spreading good will.

We made some good money by using Zimride to sell seats to our trip to Yosemite and cashed in on the friend referral and the route bonus programs. While it was nice to have extra money, we both realized that we didn’t really need it. Ridesharing introduced us to the world of Collaborative Consumption which inspired us to take action with our extra funds.

We started the Share to Care project with a mission to share the things we own to benefit others. With the extra cash, we buy nutritious, non-perishable food and assemble packets to hand out to the homeless in San Francisco.

Be warned, this type of generosity can be infectious. For example, on a Zimride from LA, Helen talked about Share to Care with her driver who ended up donating her Zimride route bonus to the project. You too can get involved by Zimriding and donating your proceeds.

To learn more, visit their website or email these awesome ladies at sharetocaresf@gmail.com.

Thanks to Sarah and Helen for sharing their story! If you have a story that you want to share, please send your Zimride Story from the Road to community@zimride.com!

-Your Zimride Crew

Zimride Tip #2: Show Off Your Ride!

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Zimride is a marketplace for open seats, so it’s important to stand out to attract passengers. Today’s tip is how to add style into your ride post.  Like Zimride Tip #1, it’s important to put your best face forward by showing off your personal flare to the Zimride Community.

 

1. Share Where You’re Going: Google maps does a great job showing routes, but it doesn’t showcase your road trip itinerary. Mention if you plan to stop by an In & Out (to attract newbies to cheeseburger deliciousness) or have a favorite place you always visit for a caffeine break.

2. Explain How Much Space You Have In Your Car: Tell your potential passengers if you have enough space for luggage as some Zimriders like to carry a suitcase or two when they go on a road trip. For Zimriders heading to Tahoe, be sure to say if you have space for gear like skis and snowboards.

3. Let Zimriders Know If You’re Animal Friendly: Some Zimriders like to travel with their furry friends. Definitely share on your ride post if you’re willing to be a trendsetter and allow passengers to bring a cat or dog along for the ride.

4. Show Off Your Ride!: You don’t need to be on Pimp My Ride to show off your car. Check out how Zimrider Rideshare Mark shows off his ride to his potential Zimriders:

Stay tuned for more useful tips from Zimride on this blog or ask us for help directly at support@zimride.com.

Happy Travels,
Your Zimride Crew

Stories from the Road – It’s a Small World After All

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Meet Eva. She’s a student at Washington State University. She sent us an incredible story about her first experience using Zimride and the moment she realized it really is a small world after all.

I posted on Zimride because I needed a ride from Pullman, WA to the Spokane Airport to fly home to California for Thanksgiving Break. A University of Idaho student named Ethan responded and drove me and another young woman to the airport.

On the ride to Spokane, Ethan and I got to talking. It turns out he is from a town about an hour away from my hometown in California, and he was headed to the airport to pick up his dad. We were talking about the differences between California, Washington, and Idaho, and I told him that my grandparents have a cabin in Idaho.

Turns out that Ethan had spent the summer backpacking around there with some friends. I was supposed to go with my family over the summer, but had to work while the rest of my family went up. Ethan started to tell me about how he and his friends ran out of food and decided to hitchhike back to their cars.

I smiled and said to him, “if my grandpa had seen you, he would have picked you up because he has an affinity for hitchhikers and loves hearing their stories.” When Ethan started to describe the nice man that picked them up, I was shocked. It turns out, the man who was kind enough to give them a ride WAS my grandpa. In fact, my grandpa brought Ethan and his friends back to our cabin for dinner and they met my whole family. After hearing this, I immediately called my grandpa and he was astonished and delighted to hear who I was sitting next to.

Thank you Eva for sharing your amazing story! Your Zimride experience is the kind that inspires us to grow the Zimride community to help make the world more connected.

If you have a story that you want to share, please send your Zimride Story from the Road to community@zimride.com!

-Your Zimride Crew

Stories from the Road – Nerding Out

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I split my time between LA and SF, driving from one to the other about every three weeks. Before I discovered Zimride, I’d try to carpool with friends, but our schedules hardly ever lined up. So I was spending lots of money on gas, feeling like an environmental disaster, and driving alone most of the time.

Zimride has made my commute so much better. It’s such a user-friendly and efficient system. I hardly have to spend time finding riders, and I can always find people whose schedules match mine. Plus most of the people are friendly, interesting, and care about the world. Really, I’ve been surprised and pleased that almost everyone has been fun, creative, and interesting to talk to.

I once drove with a young art student who was as excited as I was to nerd out about performance-art theory and how the art world works. Recently, I had a great time driving this guy who was into a lot of the same music as me. And another rider turned me on to the podcast “How Did This Get Made?”, which is ridiculous and hilarious. I’ve had so many memorable rides and met so many cool people thanks to Zimride — it has truly made my life better.

A big thank you to Jessica for her story. Make sure to read the other stories from Harmony, Jane, and Julianna. If you have a story that you want to share, please send your Story from the Road to community@zimride.com!

- Your Zimride Crew

Zimride Profiles Get a Makeover

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While you were home enjoying the holidays with friends and family, we cooked up new and improved Zimride profiles. They’re packed with awesome features to help you put your best face forward and get a better look at what your fellow Zimriders are all about.

Facebook Integration
Too busy to fill out your profile? Sign into Zimride through Facebook and get instant profile personalization. And don’t worry, you can always modify what people see, and we’ll never share your Facebook information with third parties.

Verified Affiliations
Build trust by letting the community know what networks you’re a member of. Your new profile will show a list of your verified networks so other Zimriders know you’re who you say you are.

Pictures
Not only have we made profile pics larger to better show off your pretty smile, we’ve now made it possible for drivers to share a pic of their sweet rides.

More Personal Info
Now you can share more personal info so you have a better chance at finding like-minded and compatible Zimriders. In addition to personal details like work, hometown and favorite music, now you can show your age, education, and interests.

As Zimride continues to grow, we are committed to empowering our community to make the best choices for them. The more ridesharers the merrier, and the more info on a profile the easier it is to choose the best ride for you! Have feedback about our profile makeover? Please let us know at support@zimride.com.

Happy Travels,
The Zimride Crew

Our Favorite Road Trip Itineraries: SF to LA, The Scenic Route

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7:30 a.m.- Pick up pastries and coffee at Tartine Bakery, hands down one of the best bakeries in the country.

8:00 a.m.- Drive South on Guerrero, continue onto San Jose Ave, then merge onto I-280 South (the traffic is usually better than the 101) and in 4.8 miles take a slight right onto CA 1-S.Tip: This would be a good time to take a Dramamine if windy roads make you woozy.

8:30 am- Pull over at one of the overlooks on the side of the highway between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay and take in the incredible views. Then go check out the Half Moon Bay State Beach and watch the surfers.

By Margot Loren

9:00 a.m.- Get back on the road and continue heading south on CA-1.

10:00 a.m.- Stop in Santa Cruz for delicious brunch sandwiches at Cafe Delmarett. To get there take a slight right onto Mission St., turn right onto Laurel St., and turn left at Pacific Ave.

11:00 p.m.- From Santa Cruz, get back onto CA-1 S for 48 miles, then turn right on Point Lobos to check out some more natural beauty.

12:00 p.m.- Get your camera ready, because the scenery at Point Lobos State Reserve in Carmel is breathtaking.

12:30 p.m.- Want more epic views? Stop just 11 miles south of Point Lobos and take in the grandeur of Bixby Bridge.

Sequoia Hughes, “Bixby bridge” June 26, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

12:45 p.m.- Continue south on CA-1.

2:30 p.m.- Ever wondered what it would be like to be a billionaire? Go take a tour of Hearst Castle and pretend you’re royalty for an hour. It’s just off the CA-1 on Hearst Castle Rd.

Rie H, “Castle - 11” August 3rd, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

3:30 p.m.- You can’t drive through California and not stop by at least one vineyard. Penman Springs Vineyard is one of our favorites. It’s a scenic family-run vineyard with great wine and tasty snacks. They also make their own olive oil! To get there, head south on the CA-1 for 12 miles, then take a left onto CA-46 E for 4 miles, turn right onto Union Rd, take the first left to stay on Union Rd, and then turn right onto Penman Springs Rd. Don’t forget to spit (not swallow) the wine if you’re driving!

6:00 p.m.- Continue 152 miles south on the CA-1 and stop in the beautiful and quaint Santa Barbara. Pick up some authentic and delicious tacos at one of the many taquerias in town (we recommend Lilly’s) and head to Hendry’s Beach to watch the sunset.

7:00 p.m.- Take the 101 S for two hours to get to LA.

8:00 p.m.- Welcome to the city of angels! This is the perfect time arrive in LA- you’ve skipped the crazy rush hour traffic and there’s still time to get dinner and go out.

Hector Sanchez, “Los Angeles Downtown area” March 16, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons