DAV Protocol, a Decentralized Blockchain Ride Sharing App, to Rival Uber and Lyft

Decentralized Ride-Sharing Is the Next Big Thing After Uber and Lyft

After seeing the disruptive effect of ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft, the tech space may be looking to adopt decentralization of the peer-to-peer model already used by ride-sharing companies as an improvement.

The ride-sharing apps came into the scene to address most of the challenges faced by the traditional taxi riders but itself it is grappling with centralization challenge. Uber as a case point, have had to battle several scandals including failing to report a hack that exposed its over 57 million users' private information. The app was also reported to have misused user data. Similarly, Lyft had been accused of spying on passengers.

These issues are further incentivizing the introduction of blockchain driven ride-sharing app which will offer a more secured platform without a central control. It will offer full transparency into data management and transactions, with the drivers taking home most of the profits and not the platform. This is what decentralized ride-sharing is all about.

Some decentralized ride-sharing solutions already in development such as DAV Protocol, a project that allows anyone to buy and sell transportation services. With the DAV protocol riders can discover drivers within their area and get a fare quote.

The DAV app is open source, therefore enabling developers to introduce their own unique value to the network which also allows drivers to find nearby charging station and compare prices.

DAV is working on an infrastructure that allows riders to connect with autonomous cars and request services. Meanwhile, the project is currently exploring how ride-sharing can be integrated with autonomous cars. It appears that self-driving vehicles will eventually be a norm, with the old model of riders needing to communicate directly with drivers becoming obsolete.

Through the protocol, self-driving cars will also be able to identify and connect with other service providers such as charging stations. All the transactions within the DAV protocol will be facilitated through the DAV tokens.

Ridecoin is another company seeking to decentralize ride-sharing. Even though it is in its earliest stages, the project is picking up momentum quickly. Unlike the DAV Protocol, Ridecoin only focuses on connecting riders and drivers in a decentralized manner.

A project known as La'Zooz is also working on a solution to democratize the ride-sharing industry. Unlike DAV and Ridecoin, this project aims to help people get rides from drivers heading in the same direction as they are. La'Zooz is also open source, so developers can introduce additions and improve the platform. All parties in the ecosystem including riders get rewarded through the platform's token, known as zooz.