The Google-owned navigation app, Waze is trialling a carpool service in the Bay Area for nearly 25,000 employees who works at certain Bay Area companies.

The workplaces which will take part in the trial includes, Walmart eCommerce, Adobe,  and the University of California, San Francisco. It will involve the creation of a new app, Waze Riders, through which workers can flag their interest in hitching a ride.

The Google bought Waze in 2013 for over $1billiion. It is used by civillian drivers to notify each other of police speed traps and traffic obstructions like crashes.

“This is kind of an extension of what we do at Waze, to build this trusted community,” Josh Fried, head of partner development for Waze’s carpooling efforts said.

Susan Shaheen, co-director of the UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center, said that, “Critical mass is a big reason carpooling hasn’t been able to be as successful as it could be.” “It’s exciting to see how we can use technology in a socially and environmentally beneficial way.”

Also read: Facebook hires Bay Area Judge Grewal

Nandini