Google Pilots Carpooling Program That Could Challenge Uber Israel-based, Google-owned Waze announced a carpooling app RideWith.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Waze Blog | Uber

If there is any company that can challenge Uber, it's probably Google.

While it's too soon to tell whether Google will go full force against the ridesharing service, the tech giant is piloting a carpooling technology that, if rolled out globally, could be a roadblock to Uber in its quest for world domination.

Called RideWith, the Android-only pilot program of the carpooling app is being rolled out by the Israel-based, Google-owned social traffic app Waze. The pilot program is operating in the heavily trafficked Gush Dan region in Israel, according to a blog post published by Waze today.

Related: 5 Entrepreneurial Lessons From Uber on Its 5-Year Anniversary

The target customer for the RideWith app is neighbors heading the same direction for work. The app is only available in typical rush hours and carpoolers only pay drivers for gas and wear and tear on the car. The app makes a suggestion on what the fare should be based on mileage and the driver and rider decide to either accept or reject the estimate.

Waze is not committing to the program long term just yet.

"We are conducting a small, private beta test in Tel Aviv for a carpool concept. Waze regularly experiments with new ideas in our backyard, and we have nothing specific to announce at this time," said Julie Mossler, Head of Global Communications at Waze, in an emailed statement.

Google bought Waze in June of 2013 for more than $1 billion.

Related: Google to Buy Social Mapping Startup Waze

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

Taylor Swift Reportedly Pays All Restaurant-Goers' Checks to Clear Out Restaurant For Her and NFL Star Travis Kelce

The star was spotted at Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs game Sunday night alongside Kelce's mother.

Starting a Business

Its First Year, This Startup Struggled to Get 75 Clients. Five Years Later, They Have 18,000. Here's How They Did It.

Financial planning startup Facet knew they were targeting a huge untapped market. But getting clients wasn't as easy as they hoped.

Business News

The man who married a hologram in Japan can no longer communicate with his virtual wife

The software that allowed the interaction is no longer supported and the man can no longer interact with the hologram with which he had a relationship for years.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

Too many entrepreneurs are counting too heavily on a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business Models

4 Ways to Increase Efficiency Within Your Business

If you can make these kinds of changes with confidence, you can pave the way for your company to survive the present and thrive in the future.