So it begins! We'll this isn't the first, but we are at the beginning of the TaaS or Maas (Trasport/Mobility as a service) revolution. As with every movement, early players may or may not be successful, but as pioneers they lead the way for improvement and innovation. I don't think Taas will truly hit its stride until we have regulatory approval of autonomous vehicles, but make no mistake, this is the direction of travel, and an important step on the journey.
The idea is a pretty basic one — reducing ride/service costs and greenhouse gas + pollutant emissions by combining rides — and seems to be an affordable alternative to taxi service in London for those in the need of a mobility service other than mass transit. If the company is be believed. then the algorithm being used to combine rides doesn’t drag the van far out of the way to pick up secondary customers, so the rides should still be fairly quick despite their combined nature. (I can’t verify this personally as of yet, of course.)
