Bumped.in Hopes to Connect Commuters
Bumped.in is a recently formed social start up that is hoping to become a big hit by bringing travelers together. The site works by users setting up their travel itineraries online, these in turn go on to create the foundation of Bump Walls, on which a member can place comments, pictures and videos relating to their travel experience along that route. Other people can then look to see what peoples experiences are like in regards to either journeys or location.
Kiran Patel (the companies CEO) states the inspiration behind Bumped was that people who regularly commute on the same journey may well see the same people everyday, but very rarely does anyone actually stop and speak to their fellow travelers. He hopes that by providing a service whereby people can discuss their regular commutes that like minded travelers will have an online outlet to begin actually getting to know each other a little better.
Bumped features a travel matchmaker that will help identify and alert members who regularly make the same trips, as well as a search feature for users to find information relating to trips they are thinking of taking. Users collect points based on the amount of trips they make and how much interaction they have with the Bumped system, but as yet there is nothing to actually use these points for.
If enough people adopt this system it could become one of the best travel guides on the entire web, as it will theoretically offer a better wealth of information to its users than the current breed of location based social media service. At the moment though it could go either way, as there aren’t enough members to see whether or not the system will be a real success.
The idea of getting to know people on your daily commute may seem like a good idea, but I know many people who use that time for other things already, be it preparing for work, listening to music, reading or generally just trying to relax after a long stressful day in the office.
I think people don’t communicate with each other on their daily commute because social interaction with strangers can be tiring, or counterproductive, especially when it becomes expected. Also personally I wouldn’t think people to want to share the intricate details of their regular journeys with strangers, though the popularity of services such as Foursquare may suggest otherwise.
The success of Bumped.in will entirely depend on whether or not it manages to generate a significant user base, at the moment I would say that they have an extremely long way to go, but perhaps the social element of the site will be enough to see it happen.
Thanks for sharing those advice for commuters like me, I need that one.