Wednesday January 28, 2009

The Avego iPhone app has now been available to download from Apple's iPhone app store for one month.

Since then, the Avego transport network has been building rapidly in more than 40 countries worldwide.

The top five countries in which people have downloaded the Avego iPhone app to date are:

• USA
• France
• Great Britain
• Canada
• Italy

It will take some time before critical mass can be reached, but it is already possible to see the network building strongly in some urban areas. In the United States, it is interesting to see how the network is building most rapidly in cities such as Minneapolis, St. Louis, San Francisco, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

You can help to grow the network, no matter where you live. All you need to do is record the routes that you drive most frequently, whether from your home to work or from your home to the airport, etc. Whenever you find a place that you think would make a convenient and safe pick-up location along the route, create a new Avego stop location. If you are driving, make sure that you pull over and park before you interact with the Avego iPhone app.

Another great way to help build the network is to tell a friend about Avego Shared Transport or forward them this newsletter.

Learn more about Avego Shared Transport here >>

Create an Avego account for free here >>

Download the Avego iPhone app for free here >>

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As you may know, Futurefleet is the commercial version of Avego Shared Transport. It is a complete end-to-end solution that enables transport providers to share real-time passenger information with their passengers, manage their fleets of MDT-equipped vehicles, and manage their schedules and routes, all in a way that is completely interoperable with Google Transit.

We are pleased to announce that in the last month we have updated Futurefleet with a new feature that enables commercial transport operators to quickly and easily introduce online booking functionality on their own websites, providing the same convenience of ticket purchasing as provided by airlines to their passengers.

If you are a commercial transport operator and you would like to learn more about how Futurefleet can support your operations and provide your organisation with competitive advantage, please e-mail us today at .

Learn more about Futurefleet here >>

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The big idea behind Avego Shared Transport is to ensure that there are transport options available on every road, turning wasted seats into spare capacity for commuters. We are building an experimental alternative travel network and this will take time. However, we have already won the cooperation of thousands of users who are actively building the network by recording their regularly used routes and adding stops along the way. We are also excited to have won the support of several transportation operators who will shortly add thousands of vehicles to the network. Announcements on these will be forthcoming in the months ahead.

We say that Avego Shared Transport is in "launch and learn" mode. The reason we say this is that it will take time for the transport network to build out. It's a bit like going into a hardware store in 1879 and trying to buy a light bulb. Without the electric wiring in your house, the electricity network in your neighbourhood and the hydroelectric power station to generate the electricity, the light bulb would not work.

For now, Avego Shared Transport is best experienced as a driver. It will take time before network service will be easily available to riders. Riders will not be able to dynamically find and book transport today, as there is not yet a critical mass of users. However, with the support of our partners, and with the active participation of Avego drivers, we will be working hard to ensure that the network expands in the coming months and years.

As a rider, any requests that you enter are being logged and you'll be notified as service becomes available in your area. Therefore, even if you don't find a ride, it would be helpful to make some ride requests so that you will receive such automatic notification in the future.

The system will work beautifully today if you have a coordinated set of drivers and riders. If you are currently setting up a ridesharing pilot program, already running a large ridesharing network, or looking to provide ridesharing for your corporate or educational campus, Avego Shared Transport can be made to work in your community with your active participation.

If you would like to develop a large pilot programme, with 50 or more drivers and 100 or more riders, then please write to and we will work with you to help understand how the system can be made to work for you.

If you are already using Avego, please and let us know how you are using it.

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