SideCar is the first ride-matching app that instantly connects people who need rides with local, vetted drivers who are available and willing to give rides. Essentially, a quick and hassle-free ridesharing option that offers more safety than casual carpooling and is a completely donation-based way to get around town!
SideCar is available in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn, NY and Washington, D.C.
SideCar community drivers are regular people with extra space in their cars and a
willingness to give others a ride on the way to where they are going. All community
drivers are licensed insured and have passed background checks. (See our Terms of
Service for details.) Oh and they have great cars with four doors, too. You just might be
a perfect community driver yourself!
Safety is our #1 priority. All community drivers not only must have a valid driver's license, insurance and a good car in working order, but we also run background checks,
conduct interviews and use GPS technology to track every trip. Passengers are not
anonymous; SideCar takes steps to ensure passenger identity and accountability for a
safer driving experience. And, after each ride, passengers rate drivers 1 to 5 stars. We
investigate any community members, both passengers and drives, with consistently
low ratings.Any community driver with less than a 4.5 rating over their first few trips
or who doesn’t meet SideCar’s safety, performance, or courtesy standards will be
deactivated. Your ratings, both low and high, give SideCar drivers yet another reason to
provide friendly, safe and reliable rides. Any rideshare passenger or community driver
concerned for his or her safety should immediately contact support@side.cr or call (415
745 5553).
SideCar is an app, so community drivers can be available for ridesharing at any time. As our community grows, so do the number of drivers and area of coverage. Check
your app anytime for a quick, fun and reliable ride.
SideCar has a Zero Tolerance Drug and Alcohol policy for all of its drivers. Community
drivers are absolutely prohibited from driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
and are also not allowed to smoke while ridesharing. We thoroughly investigate any
and all concerns or suspicion of drug use or driving under the influence. Any rideshare passenger who suspects a Community driver is in violation of this policy should contact
SideCar immediately at support@side.cr or call (415 745 5553).
SideCar is neither a taxi nor a limo service. It’s a ride-matching app that connects
people who need rides with vetted drivers from the community who are able and willing
to share a ride. All payments are completely voluntary and are handled via a cashless,
donation-based system between smartphones.
SideCar is a donation-based service. The funds you decide to transfer to your driver
are completely voluntary. To help make the donation system easier, we’ve included a
“suggested donation” in the app, which shows you how much others are paying for rides
of similar durations and distances. The suggested donation is constantly updating to
reflect new donations made in the system. The donation you make can be any amount,
including $0. Just remember to treat your drivers like you would like to be treated!
SideCar community drivers are unique, wonderful people. Their cars reflect their awesome personalities and they come in all different sizes and models. Variety is the spice of life.
Yes! Once you have set your pickup and dropoff locations, simply tap a car on the map to choose a specific driver. Once confirmed, your request will only go out to that driver. If they are not able to pick you up right then, you can always select “Closest Driver” to send the message to all nearby drivers.
Yes! If you get a ride with a driver that you’d prefer not to ride with again, simply rate them 4 stars or lower after your trip. The app will ask you if you’d like to block that driver in the future. Tap OK and that driver won’t see your requests in the future. And don’t worry, drivers will never see who has blocked them!
Most cars fit about 4 people. But the app will show you which car will be picking you up, so you’ll be able to see in advance if there’s room for more
To cancel your ride, simply tap the “Cancel ride” in the main menu of the app. At this time there is no cancellation fee, but please consider your driver’s time before canceling.
We're glad you asked! We've outlined a few tips and tricks for both drivers and riders. Check them out here.
Just head to www.side.cr/drive, fill out the form, upload your documents, and do a quick online video interview. Once you’ve been approved, you can get the app and hit the road! The whole process can take as little as 24 hours.
SideCar community drivers are friendly, adventurous, active and awesome. They enjoy meeting new people while helping them get from place to place. And they have registered 4-door vehicles in good working order plus valid insurance, a current driver’s license and a clean background. Sound like you?
Depends on the driver and how often they login to the app! Passengers can donate as much or as little as they like for a ride, but we suggest a fair amount in the app. Some drivers are making more than $30 per hour.
Safety is our #1 priority. All passengers are required to enter their personal information (including credit card info) prior to joining the community, and they are rated by drivers after every trip. This helps keep everyone honest, visible and safe.
The short answer is, no, you can’t. SideCar wants you to get the most out of sharing
your rides as possible, but to keep everything in the spirit of ridesharing, there’s no profit
motive here. Our community drivers all drive non-commercially and non-professionally
and must do so within the applicable rideshare rules. This means you share the rides you’re already taking: to go to and from work, for example. The donations you receive
from passengers are meant to help you cover the costs of owning and driving your car,
and that’s it.
Not at all! Community drivers login to the app whenever they feel like it. This is not a job, it’s a ride-sharing app, so there are no hours or shifts or anything like that. You drive when you want.
Community drivers receive their contributions every week. Donations are deposited directly into your bank account electronically. Super easy.
Community drivers are only required to have a valid, unrestricted license issued by
the state in which they are driving. Current insurance on their vehicle, issued in their
name, is also required.
SideCar requires community drivers to carry liability insurance coverage as mandated
for all drivers by the state in which they drive. Before you start ridesharing with us, we
will check to make sure you have valid coverage as required by your state, but it’s up to
you to get that insurance for yourself. No special insurance coverage is usually needed
for carpool/rideshare use of your vehicle, but you should check your car insurance coverage
to ensure that ridesharing or carpooling is not excluded. SideCar does have a Guarantee
Program that could cover you if your insurance is denied or
exhausted. Please contact your insurance company if you'd like more information.
We're glad you asked! We've outlined a few tips and tricks for both drivers and riders. Check them out here.
