Introduction
This website is for the Instant Rideshare research project. We are undergraduate students of the University of Maryland at College Park. As young students, we are concerned with the increasing environmental and econmical impact of transportation. In order to decrease the impact of transportation, we are researching, developing, and implementing a taxi share and carpool system.
We call this Rideshare.
Some of our research questions:
- What are the correct batch scheduling algorithms to use?
- What incentives do people need to participate?
- What are the user interface design issues?
- What preferences create a comfortable environment for passengers?
Responsibilities of the Researchers
The students of this research project have the responsibility of designing and implementing the researched matching algorithms. They are to test the effectiveness of these algorithms in order to determine which is the most popular among the population. This will be done by creating a model; an area in which the population tested can make real rideshare events based on preferences.
The project's designated faculty member has the responsibility of mentoring the students and monitoring their progress. Professor Samir Khuller's expertise in matching algorithms makes him the perfect faculty member for the project.
CREU Involvement
Funding from Collaborative Research Experience for Undergradutates (CREU) has allowed our research to continue. The students are now able to dedicate time to the development of this project. We will also be better able to advertise our research across campus through presentations at conferences and technical talks.