It appears as though Facebook is widening its wings even further. This time around, it looks like the social networking site is gradually treading on the turf of Uber, with its ride-sharing feature for its Events Page.
A patent application was published Thursday suggesting that Facebook could be thinking about stepping into the ride-sharing arena.
From the looks of it, it appears that Facebook is ramping up its Events pages in an effort to make them far more beneficial. With the new feature onboard, Facebook will make it simpler for its users to organize logistics and help users share cars and look for a travel pal for them to arrive at specific events with ease.
Rather than the typical Going, Not Going and Interested RSVPs on Events pages, users will soon be encouraged to supply more specific responses, for example, “Going but not driving” or “Going and driving.”
If users are going to bring their own autos, they could type in details regarding the number of passengers they could take, the specific time they're going to depart and if they only want to share the ride with their friends.
At any rate, we are able to assume that the firm is absolutely keen in making its platform an all-in-one destination to entice more users to stay onto it. Previous features the company has thrown in range from providing a way for people to easily donate to charities to offering a live video streaming service.
"Matched users are able to benefit from cost-effective, environmentally friendly and/or social aspects of sharing transportation to the event," reads the document.
To minimize that awkward silence, the app will boast the ability to match drivers and passengers depending on personal information, such as where you went to school, common passions (e.g., interests in politics, music, restaurant preferences) and more. Users will soon get navigation information to lead them to the pickup locations.
The patent application was submitted back in July 25, 2014, hinting that Facebook has been planning on this ride-sharing functionality for quite a while already.
In the meantime, Facebook joined forces with Uber last month, making it possible for users to reserve a car straight from the Messenger app.
