Can companies like Lyft and Uber go further using SNA? Let’s take a Ride.

This morning, my wife came from her university and, as always, began to talk about how her day was and what she learned from her class. In this opportunity, she told me about an issue that has being running into my head for so long. She told me about her classmate Kha who lives just 20 minutes walking away from Harvard, but usually she waits for the Bus to go to the university. When they have classes at 8:30 Kha is always late because she is facing an issue with the Public Transportation. The only bus that she can take is always full between 7 and 8:30 and it is impossible to take it. For instance, the buses are not stopping, they just pass over the eyes of the passengers that are waiting. As her ultimate option, she returns home and asks her husband, who is taking care of their two babies, to ride her to the school.

After hearing the whole story, which my wife told me with all the details, I was thinking about how a government responsibility as guarantee transportation can be addressed for private companies. I agree with the idea of business as dominant social institution, because I believe in the power of business to change the context in both a positive and a negative sense, and in this specific case I find an opportunity for companies to address a social issue with a sustainable practice, helping people to solve their needs, being environmental responsible and generating economic prosperity.

The idea that came into my mind was to provide a service based on collaboration between people. Those individuals that are waiting in the same ratio of 1 miles and are going to nearby places can share a vehicle who act as a shuttle taking people along the road. I recalled the service of companies as Uber and Lyft that provide a transportation service. These companies have the software in their apps to identify the vehicles that are nearby. With an upgrade of the software it will be possible for passengers to observe the people that are requiring the service and that are willing to share the ride in order to cut cost.

Taking this case into account, the Social Network Analysis can be used to identify the local areas that are more in needs of a service like that, the preferences of people in sharing their rides, and the hour in with this service is more needed. Before the implementation of the idea, these two companies can track their clients that are using the service more frequently and the ones that are influencing other to use their services (betweenness), and putting into practice a pilot of the service to realize the willingness of people to use it in this way. Another outcome of using SNA is to identify the areas in the city which serves like “bridge points” for commuters to establish the stopping points of the service.  This bridge points not are necessary the same where buses are stopping today.

Regarding to the data needed for applying a social network analysis, I consider that the data more difficult to obtain is the willingness of people to share their cab. Using the current information that Uber and Lyft software are already measuring, it will be easy to compile the rest of the information needed, mentioned above.  

In the case of my wife’s classmate, she was very near from the place she wanted to reach, but imagine all the people that are commuting by 1 hour in order to reach their work or school and cannot afford a taxi ride by his/her own. It will be a very efficient way to avoid more CO2 emissions of many cars rolling in the street and, at the same time, addressing a social issue.