SAP today launched a cloud-based carpool app that has saved the software company more than $5 million internally in less than two years.
TwoGo by SAP can help companies encourage employees to ride-share to work. The result, SAP says, is better-networked, more productive employees and reduced costs for corporate fleets, parking infrastructure and travel expenses.
Since its employees started using the app in July 2011, SAP saved more than $5 million though reduced fuel consumption and maintenance costs for both the SAP fleet and employees’ private cars, the company says. TwoGo also helped SAP eliminate 400,000 miles of driving and avoid 88 kilotons of greenhouse gases, the company says.
The cloud-based app can be instantly rolled out across organizations, allowing employees to be matched into carpools automatically and according to their individual preferences.
The mobile app can save employees’ money, too. In large urban areas in the US, the average commuter spends $16 and 52 minutes going 32 miles round trip to work each day, SAP says. By carpooling, employees recoup some of this lost productivity by encouraging networking and brainstorming on the road.
TwoGo can be used on various mobile devices, online and through calendar applications. It works with any iCal compatible corporate calendar application (such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes or Google), SAP says. The app also provides administrators with reports on employees’ commuting habits and usage trends.
Once a company licenses TwoGo, employees can sign up online and enter ride-sharing preferences such as proximity, timing to and from work, and willingness to leave the highway to pick up passengers. With some similar programs, would-be carpoolers must go through lists to find the right partner. SAP says with TwoGo, after preferences are entered, rides are instantly matched and communication is handled automatically via email or SMS. It also allows users to create and change rides within the context of their daily work schedule.
TwoGo employs algorithms to ensure employees do not get stranded at work. To help find geographically desirable matches, TwoGo uses map data from Navteq, part of Nokia. Companies can use TwoGo on the Web in English, German, Spanish and French. It accommodates international time zones, maps and measurement units.