IU alumnus creates online carpooling community

If finding a ride out of Bloomington feels like rocket science for some students, alumnus David Potter might have solved the problem.

Potter, who graduated from the Kelley School of Business in 2006, recently co-founded a new carpooling Web site that matches its users with others who share the same or similar routes.

“We actually brought in a rocket scientist to help compute route overlap,” Potter said of the Web site’s technology.

The site, ShareShotgun.com, uses an algorithm that not only matches people with rides, but also calculates the exact gas prices of the specific driving day and correlates them to the mileage of the car so carpoolers have a convenient way of exchanging gas money.

Potter said he and co-founder Ryan Klemann, a graduate of Washington State University, were primarily interested in starting an innovative carpooling Web site as a way of creating an environmentally conscious way to save – and even make – money.

“There’s been a huge push now to be more ‘green,’” Potter said. “And I think as gas prices continue to surge, what we’re seeing is people looking for creative ways to save money.”

On ShareShotgun.com, users simply type in their start and end addresses, and the Web site’s match-making technology comes up with people sharing similar routes.

If there are no immediate matches, the user can save the route and be alerted as soon as a similar one comes up.

The system also allows users to pay for the calculated gas money directly on the Web site through PayPal or credit cards.

Potter said he likes to describe the Web site, which officially launched Jan. 14, as a combination of the best of eHarmony, craigslist and eBay.

“We’re really just working a marketplace for carpooling,” he said.

Since the site’s launch, Klemann said it has already generated a significant amount of buzz.

New visitors might not find matches automatically on their first search, he added, stressing the need for those visitors to post their own routes.

“We need people not only to sign up, but to put their own routes up so people see that they are there,” Klemann said.

Some students, however, are skeptical of the idea of a carpooling Web site that matches its users with strangers.

Freshman Blake Kelpin, who sometimes drives to his home in Fort Wayne on the weekends, said he wouldn’t be comfortable traveling with a stranger.

“If it’s somebody you don’t know, it’s always kind of awkward,” Kelpin said. “My parents just always told me to find a ride with someone I know instead.”

And while Kelpin said saving gas and helping the environment are important, he said there are better solutions, such as public transportation, that are safer and less likely to create uncomfortable situations.

Nevertheless, Klemann said the new Web site should have particular benefits for college students.

“To me, it seems like a great way for students to save money,” Klemann said. “It comes down to the bottom line, which is that college students are very aware, and being that the environment is a key topic, they can also take pride knowing that they’re saving the environment as well.”

Potter’s experience with the Kelley School of Business played a significant role in coming up with ideas for ShareShotgun.com, he said.

“Being a Kelley grad, it’s really important that you look for a niche in the market,” he said. “When you can find a way to save the environment and save money at the same time, it’s a win-win situation.”