It was November of 2002 and my wife and I were vacationing in Argentina during the height of its economic crisis. At 7:00 AM; we had just arrived at the coastal town of Viedma off an overnight train from Bariloche. Our flight to Buenos Aires was scheduled to leave 200 miles away from Bahia Blanca later that afternoon and I had not figured out how we were going to get there. As in most parts of Latin America, I assumed there were frequent buses to everywhere.
Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the bus station. There was the sign: Bahia Blanca, Proximo Bus: 14:30 Oh, no! My stomach sank as the consequences of missing the flight became apparent. It was ugly. Only a few flights a week and all probably full. The lost hotel nights and missed tango shows! It was too much! We had to make that flight! Clearly there weren't many other options.
Taxi anyone?
Talk about good fortune! He couldn't believe his; I couldn't believe mine. Two hundred miles for two people and baggage for sixty dollars! Not free, but certainly reasonable by U.S. standards. Unhesitant, I said "Vamonos!" And we piled in.
Before we left Viedma, we stopped for gas. And then something very strange happened: The driver looked at me and asked, "Since we were going so far, would you mind if I took a few minutes to see if anyone else wants to go?" I looked back, perplexed. Unthinkingly, I responded, "Sure, why not?" During the next several minutes we drove all over Viedma, stopping with the driver yelling, "Bahia Blanca, anyone interested?" Progressively after each stop, his anguish grew more intense. I was watching all this in fascination, trying to comprehend why such an interest in getting additional passengers. Where I come from, when a taxi picks you up, he goes. Other passengers may come along if they are with you at boarding, but I had never seen anything like this.
Finally, frustrated at having found no additional takers, we departed for the four-hour trip across eastern Patagonia. If you have ever been to Patagonia, these are good trips to think on, because there isn't a lot to see. So I thought. And thought. About the pain of economic crises. About how that additional fare was so important to this driver. About how those of us with even relatively small different economic circumstances can live such different realities. I thought about the problem of what inhabitants of places like Viedma face, with not so frequent bus service and long distances to travel. Then I looked at my cell phone.
The rest is a long story, four years to be exact. A story that has taken me down the path of assimilating more information technology, (and in my free time nonetheless), than anyone should ever have to learn. Aktalita uses the latest of GIS, PHP5, SQL , J2ME, MIDP and Java server technologies to offer a framework for dynamic carpooling usable anywhere in the world. It is real time, its basic use is free, and it is getting close. Many people and other applications have been a source of inspiration. They are my father, Edwin Kessler, an expert on global warming who has been venting to me his frustration about rising CO2 levels since I was a child. Barnraiser, Carpoolworld , and the Seattle Smart Traveler experiment. Not to forget Google, who have released applications like Google maps and Earth, a significant service to humankind. Once I could completely visualize Aktalita, I put together a development team . We are working away to make it happen and it is going well.
Our planet is in trouble. All of the cars out there headed in the direction you want to go are vastly underutilized. Why don't we utilize them better? Three reasons: A) There are complex social and legal issues. B) Drivers and passengers don't know and trust each other. And C) Drivers and passengers don't conveniently know where each other ae going. Aktalita can't do much about A, but it is a serious attempt to address B and C. You, the users and administrators, the groups you form, the things you do, the attitudes you take, can slowly change A and reduce the threat to our planet through global warming. We can better utilize our existing resources, and help raise the standard of living for people, especially poorer people, everywhere.
Lets make it happen!
Tom Kessler
Guadalajara, Mexico