Business Idea: Car Service Mashup

At the end of last month, Thrillst posted a link to a new service named SMScab in Brooklyn that lets you SMS (text message) into a car service to which the dispatcher will reply with a wait time and cost. They describe the service as, "Stranded in Brooklyn? Mute? Text this cab co. your location and the dispatcher’ll text back the approximate wait time and cost, then send a car to meet you. SMScab also provides some BK joints w/ their own four-digit code, which you can text in lieu of an address — because there’s lazy, and then there’s lzy."

It got me thinking — what about a Google maps mashup for car service? With more people using mobile devices that handle mapping, here’s how I could see it working:

1. You load the mashup using your computer or mobile
2. Select your pickup and dropoff location (pickup could be set using GPS)
3. Select your time and day for pickup
4. Once you submit the information, a list is provided of the available car services with prices and reviews
5. Click your desired car service and in moments you receive a text message confirming the details

One mashup could handle hundreds of cities across the world providing for a way to book a car to any city that a person might travel to – would certainly make it easier when traveling to a new city! 

This could help cut down on overcharging and level the playing field for all car services — especially with the reviews. And since the data is transmitted electronically, there would never be issues with wrong pickup location. Good idea? Bad idea? Being done already?

Note for non-NY’ers: Outside of Manhattan, taxi service is called "car service" and you must call the car. In Manhattan it’s all yellow Taxi (and private car) based and there is no calling for a taxi.