PickupPal Blog

If you live in Canada in the GTA or in the Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo area, you can participate in the Keep Cool program.

Keep cool, a program of the Clean Air Foundation, is a market transformation campaign that encourages individuals to permanently retire and recycle their old, inefficient room air conditioners and to adopt cleaner more efficient cooling alternatives.

You can even use PickupPal to deliver your old air con or dehumidifier to your nearest partner store.

GTA Residents should use this page, whereas folks in the Tech Triangle Kitchener/ Waterloo area should use this page.

Dates designated for the promotion of environmental issues.

• World Wetlands Day - February 2
• UN World Day for Water - March 22
• UN World Meteorological Day - March 23
• Earth Day - April 22
• Arbor Day - Last Friday in April
• International Migratory Bird Day - May 3
• International Day for Biological Diversity (World Biodiversity Day) - May 22
• Bike-to-Work Week - Third Friday in May
• Ozone Action Day - at certain times during the summer months
• Clean Air Day (Canada) - June 4
• UN World Environment Day - June 5
• Pollution Probe Clean Air Commute Week - June 23 to 27
• UN World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought - June 17
• UN World Population Day - July 11
• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer - September 16
• UN World Habitat Day - first Monday in October
• International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction - second Wednesday in October
• International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict - November 6
• International Mountain Day - December 11

I would love to figure out what the various types of personalities are and how they are mapped to a rational decision making process and those that go strictly with their gut. I am a go with my gut kind of guy. For example here is my decision making process when it comes to cars - I see it and if in the first instance I go yeah! then pretty much I want to buy it. For example today my wife and I went to look - and the operative word is look - at what VW has to offer. Our minivan costs over 100 bucks to fill and keeps going back to the shop for repairs. So a responsible German car like a VW is what we had in mind. Yeah yeah Beetle - not for me - “Nerds on Site” killed it for me, Golf GTI - nahh would get too many speeding tickets, Touareg mmmm I would always be thinking I should have spent more dough and got a Cayenne, Passat - hmm I like that nice and roomy great for the family, then there is the Jetta - not for me - no way Jose - had one when I was in my 20’s and now I am all grown up. But wait look at this one - look at the massive sunroof - uhhhhh yup I will take it. Did not even test drive it - don’t know all the options - did not pop the hood - not sure how the stereo sounds - but man look at that sunroof.

Rational - nope - go with my gut - yup! My wife Portia is the same way - one look at that massive sunroof and all she could think of is convertible! So we say goodbye to the minivan and say hello to a big sunroof.

So what does this have to do PickupPal you ask? - well PickupPal is 100% gut for both myself and John. We do look at all the pros and cons and try and figure out a rational way of making decisions based on the facts - but at the end of the day it comes down to our guts. For example - refer a friend - $5 credit for any friend you refer - all they have to do is sign up and join - you get $5 credit to your account. Everyone, and I mean everyone said “hold on a second you need a maximum - what if someone signs up 100 friends? That is $500 in credit - they will never have to pay - you will go bankrupt!” Well the way we see it - put a cap on the number of friends just seems cheap and dorky - if you have 100 friends and you are willing to tell each and every one of them about PickupPal - well you are definitely a star in our mind - something to be rewarded not restricted! That is one of easily a hundred gut decisions that went into figuring out the path for PickupPal.

Cheers - Eric

The UK government is considering a carbon allowance for UK citizens to help it meet its targets for carbon reduction. Known as Personal Carbon Trading, the idea is that everyone will have their own quota so that somebody who uses too much can buy credits from someone who uses less.

Unfortunately, it’s looking as the though the UK government will abandon this idea in favour of higher taxation on motorists. Which will no doubt boost the government’s coffers, but will do little to reduce the effects of climate change.

Carbon Rationing

It’s much more progressive than taxation, it tends it re-distribute wealth from the rich to the poor. It’s transparent, it’s easy for everyone to understand. You all get the same carbon ration, if you use more than your ration you have to buy some extra from someone who’s used less. And it also contains an in-built incentive for people to think about their energy use and to think about how they’re going to stay within their carbon ration. So for instance you say: ‘Oh I better go and change my light bulbs, otherwise it’s going to cost me a lot of money’. (Source: George Monbiot on Today, BBC Radio 4)

Key to the whole concept is keeping the carbon allowances low, and lowering them further in the future. Low carbon allowances would create a more buoyant carbon market and people would have more incentive to trade their carbon with one another. So far, the UK government has been very reluctant to set hard targets on what this allowance would look like for fear of offending big business.

It’s an interesting idea, and one that works naturally with PickupPal as we calculate the amount the amount of carbon saved by PickupPal rideshare users. You can see what the overall total is on the bottom-right of our home page.

- Jonathan

Everyday I get one or two emails that go something like this: “this guy is traveling in the opposite direction” or “this pickup requires a detour” or more often simply “this is not on my way”.

I answer these comments happily because I know that every single one of our members has a different expectation as to what PickupPal will do for them and certainly most are not quite sure how it all works. I change up my answers and use metaphors sometimes to explain and i thought to blog about it…if you will permit me

The matching engine creates a sort of bubble around the routes that drivers save into the system and this becomes a catchment area. Basically it is tantamount to a net that is cast. The pickup requests caught in that “net” are matched to the route - PickupPal reels in the net for the PickupPal drivers and dumps out the catch for them to take a look. Some “fish” are good, some are not the right ones and need to be thrown back into the sea. This is not meant to annoy anyone, but rather to meet all sorts of appetites. Some drivers have no taste for deviating from a set course, some others do. So under these circumstances, sometimes we catch a fish/pickup that is not right for Drivers.

One thing that members can do when they come upon a particularly unpalatable morsel is to check the “also, do not show this again” box on the drive opportunity page. Because we get it, not everyone likes squid - I do but that does not mean you need to. What makes it hard however is that a few people don’t really want to fish with a net at all…but would rather be fishing with a line in out the back of the boat.

We have mentioned in our one-on-one communications and within our forums that we are working on a new user interface (UI) for release this summer, it will include a feature whereby drivers can set matching preferences on their routes, in essence giving them the option of a smaller net perhaps even several sizes of nets. We think it will be like fishing in a barrel:)

- Suesan

I have to set this up - so last weekend I went with some buddies out into the Canadian Wilderness, (Algonquin Park), to get away from things and to experience the great outdoors. The long and the short of it all is that it was at first sunny and warm and then turned cold, sometimes raining and windy. So cold and windy in fact on Monday morning I woke up in my tent after a nighttime of heavy winds and rain to hear my buddy Maher tell everyone that there was a trace of snow blowing. When you lay there in your sleeping bag with it zippered right up and your hat on your head but still cold you know that the day will be long. The trek back to Achray was a good four hours straight into the wind with a few portages along the way. The thing about paddling into the wind is that you are committed - you have to keep paddling - there is no other option but to keep digging in and slowly you get to your destination.

So you ask what does this have to do with a Startup? Well there is a many parallels to setting out on a journey and having to sometimes paddle into the wind. PickupPal started with a handshake between John and I on a sunny day in the fall. Having had a few startups in the past we both knew that saying yes to this challenge was one that you do not take lightly. I think if any of you out there reading this is interested in starting a company there are a few key things in my opinion you have to have to get it off the ground. So from my perspective this is what the key ingredients are:

1. Be passionate about what it is you are doing as a business - if you are doing it for money then I fear you will have a hard time of it all. NOTE: I even wrote a Manifesto for PickupPal at like 4:00 a.m. in the early days - here it is in all its glory - PickupPal Manifesto
2. Partner with someone in business who challenges you and pushes you out of your comfort zone;
3. Partner with someone in your personal life who believes in you and thinks you walk on water - even if you are really just treading water;
4. Conserve your cash on things that don’t matter like: fancy offices, stationary, new computers, box seats, a new car, marketing gimmicks - stuff that does not add to the bottom line;
5. Spend your cash on things that do matter like: an awesome tight team, good legal advice, targeted online advertising, good hosting services;
6. It is a startup not a Broadway Musical - hire only those that you absolutely need - not because you conserve your cash but because the team that you start with has to be tight, empowered, inspired, invested and your A team. Anyone who does not fit in or is not passionate about what you are doing - ditch them;
7. Treat every customer/member as if they are your best client - because they are - everyone wants to know that the organization they are dealing with really does care about what they have to say and if you treat them right they will in turn tell their friends and you can grow your business;
8. Have a vision and focus on it every day. I know that is so overplayed but really there are so many times when you think the road is turning when really it is just a Friday - stay the course - stay focussed - be really really good at what you are trying to do. A Family Doctor gets paid X, a Neurosurgeons gets paid 5X - both are doctors but one of them you pay for the focus and the specialization;
10. Read every one of Seth Godin’s books on marketing - seriously - if that guy does not inspire you then you should give up;
11. An the biggest one of all - Go with your Gut - your primal instinct of what you should do and really hang on to it.

So that is my advice - it is a lot like camping in the wilderness - you start out with a vision and a dream and you dig in and get it done. It is not always sunshine and it may not go the way you planned everyday but it you love what you do you will find yourself loving every minute of it even if it takes up every last minute of your day.

Good luck and go with your gut!

Cheers - Eric

Well in the immortal words of Otis Redding and covered ohh so well by the Black Crowes:

“Baby here I am
I’m the man on the scene
I can give you what you want
But you gotta come home with me”

[NOTE: It was on this tour when I first saw the Black Crowes - Awesome band live! I cannot wait to see them in July at Bluesfest]

The Ottawa Bluesfest has team up with PickupPal providing fans an excellent way to double up and cut down - all part of our Rock n Roll Rideshare initiative. As a loyal fan of the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest year after year this is quite the pleasure to team up with such a prestigious festival. If you are going to Bluesfest sign up to PickupPal from the Ottawa Bluesfest Site and bring someone with you or find a ride to the various shows.

This years line up is massive - here is a sampling:
James Taylor; Steely Dan; The Tragically Hip; Feist; Wyclef Jean; The Black Crowes; Fergie; Widespread Panic; Brian Wilson; Great Big Sea; Boz Scaggs; Three Days Grace; Primus; Zappa Plays Zappa; Taj Mahal; Donna Summer; Matthew Good and His Band; Don McLean; Keb’ Mo’; Theory of a Dead Man; Blind Boys of Alabama; Joan Armatrading; Jakob Dylan; Dr. John; Canned Heat; Corb Lund, Metric; The Wailers; Johnny Winter; Bettye LaVette; Sam Roberts Band; Martha Wainwright; Jose Gonzalez; The Hammerheads; Sonny Landreth; Back Door Slam; Brothers Chaffey; Theory of a Dead Man; Billy Joe Green, Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo; Tokyo Police Club; Three Days Grace

And special note - our very own Brothers Chaffey are performing on Friday, July 11 at 6:00 pm on the Rogers Stage - you have to check them out! (If you have watched the PickupPal Video - you may have noticed a wicked little ditty - custom written for us by the Brothers Chaffey).

NOTE: This is not groundbreaking news however it is pretty funny.

I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that PickupPal will be providing Ridesharing services for Virgin Festival Canada 2008 by Virgin Mobile in Calgary but we are also going to have a booth at the Eco-Village on site. As soon as it was decided to have the booth John Stewart, (CEO and co-founder of PickupPal), recalled that he had a display booth at his Brother’s office in Kingston. The challenge was, when was John going to come down to Ottawa some 3 hours away and drop off the booth?

We talked about going down to pick it up or possibly having it shipped but that was going to be a big hassle. Then it dawned on John – Ummm don’t we run a company that has the mantra “a global eco-friendly transportation revolution that connects drivers, passengers, and PACKAGES with the places they need to go”? Well after we laughed for a while John posted the Pickup request and sure enough the call was answered within hours and the display booth arrived safe and sound in Ottawa – right to my doorstep - safe and sound.

So the moral of this story is even if you don’t remember to use PickupPal all the time, don’t feel bad, we forget sometimes as well. I think it is because we are so conditioned to do things the old way that we sometimes forget that we now have more options available to us right under our noses!

Cheers - Eric

Eric has blogged about this issue: trust/stranger/feeling safe…In my mind, there is no way to be 100% sure that someone you are interacting with, who you have not known for a certain amount of time, is a “safe” person (for lack of a better word). At work, at the grocery store, at the park, at Uni, driving in the other car on the highway, sitting next to you on the bus, at the movies or at the symphony for that matter, we are surrounded by people we do not know. We all decide individually what we feel comfortable doing and who we feel comfortable interacting with, sometimes even talking to. We make choices everyday based on a whole series of individually-set criteria to go in one direction or another, or to do one thing and not another.

Ridesharing is not for everyone. But I think it works for a lot of people whose criteria for making the choice to share a ride with someone are met within the PickupPal community model. There are a series of tools that PickupPal provides to meet a number of these criteria (not all, but some)…
Tools such as:

• member profiles with photo
• gender preference matching
• in-system messaging
• post-ride feedback/evaluation
• five-star rating
• drive/ride statistics tracking
• community support with like-minded people
• people going to the same event/concert/festival

So with these tools to satisfy some criteria, and other personal decision-making criteria, that members may have, being met by such things as telephone conversations and /or pre-drive meetings, a lot of people (Pickuppal members) are perfectly comfortable to accept or offer rides with others members going the same way.

It is a challenge to support people to trust others and feel safe with others. And we at PickupPal, would never presume (or even try) to convince a person to trust another solely by virtue of the online community that we have created. What PickupPal does is offer a box of useful tools for its members that may (or may not) help inform their decision regarding sharing a ride/drive, it does not decide for them.

We are challenged as a society and at PickupPal to understand the trust relationship. To understand what makes another person a “stranger” (and strange/not trustworthy) and what needs to happen for someone to go from such a “stranger” to a person who you just may not know, but is worthy of your trust. What is our default position as a society? These are very interesting questions and to understand them and address them is, as I said, certainly challenging but also inspiring… At least to me.

-Suesan

I saw this photo on a travel blog I read occasionally. This is probably the most amount of people I’ve ever seen traveling on or in a single vehicle (and I’ve seen whole families on mopeds in Vietnam):

It’s an amazing image, but this rideshare was probably undertaken due to some very extreme conditions. Judging by the amount of possessions on board, these poor folks are clearly not commuting.

- Jonathan