Startups

This app is looking to help DC ridesharing drivers

Gridwise shows drivers the hotspots for riders. D.C. is the startup's first expansion market.

Gridwise shows airport demand. (Courtesy photo)

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.

Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Donate to the Journalism Fund

Your support powers our independent journalism. Unlike most business-media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational contributions.

Trending

These 10 regions could be most impacted by federal return-to-office mandates

Tech-related orders and economic reorganizations hit Maryland. Here’s what they mean. 

From Belgaum to Baltimore and beyond, this founder leaned on family to build a biotech juggernaut 

Philly vs. Kansas City: Who’s got the stronger tech economy?

Technically Media