This app is looking to help DC ridesharing drivers

Along with navigating the streets, drivers who are working as independent contractors with ridesharing services like have a lot to keep track of on their phones, as well.

Some drivers are working with multiple services, so that means switching between apps. Then there’s keeping track of hotspots to pick people up, and traffic so they can maximize rides.

Gridwise is aimed at putting much of that information in one place. The app was launched in Pittsburgh, and recently expanded to D.C.

The app has features that show rider demand at airports, as well as info about when big events are happening. It also displays road conditions and weather. The app provides real-time alerts on each of those categories.

“These features created were in response to the inefficiencies drivers experience due to the lack of transparency for drivers of supply and demand in their city,” cofounder Ryan Green said in response to questions from Technical.ly. “The pain points were found through talking to hundreds of drivers, but also from driving for these rideshare companies ourselves.”

Green and cofounder Brian Finamore are both drivers. They want to stay close to what’s happening on the roads, and are ask employees to drive for at least one service.

Gridwise is a standalone from the apps provided by ridesharing companies, so it requires opening another app. But it might save from going to a navigation app, and Green said drivers are used to switching around. On the Android version, Gridwise includes a taskbar that lets drivers toggle apps from a central overlay.

The idea is to create more efficiency, and help drivers make more money. The fact that the founders see a viable market is yet another sign of ridesharing’s popularity.

D.C. is the second market for the app, and Green said the startup sees the crowded ridesharing market and roadways in the area as a challenge.

“By solving the challenges in the DMV area, we should be well prepared as we scale to other large metro cities. It is a large market and great proving ground for our platform,” Green said.