Currently in the testing phase in the Nevers metropolitan area until May 2025, the instant carpooling application Ynstant (pronounced ine-stante) connects drivers and passengers for short everyday journeys. What its founder Lancelot Salomon explained to Koikispass.
What is special about Ynstant?
Lancelot Salomon : Many drivers do not offer carpooling because they do not want the hassle of planning their trips in advance, nor do they want to take detours that waste time. With Ynstant, we remove these obstacles because we offer instant carpooling.
How does it work?
First of all, it's a matter of downloading the app for free and enabling notifications. When you are a driver, you enter your destination and how soon you will leave, between 5 minutes and 4 hours maximum. The algorithm calculates the GPS track of the route and sends it to potential passengers who have created an alert and are near the route. The driver doesn't make any detours and leaves whenever he wants. The passenger pays €3 per trip via the application regardless of the distance.
Is it an alternative to the bus?
It's complementary. The goal is to use your personal vehicle less. Ynstant is relevant when the public transport offer is non-existent or poorly developed and people are very dependent on the car for their daily journeys.
How to develop the reflex of instant carpooling?
For Ynstant to be effective, carpooling lines must be denser and it must become a reflex to publish your journey. To encourage drivers to create transport offers, we reward them by paying them 5 cents per trip published, even if they have no passengers. Passengers and drivers also receive bonuses when they sponsor other users of the platform.
Are legacy ride-sharing apps competing with your service?
No, because on these apps you have to plan your journey well in advance and the distances are often much longer. On Ynstant, the average journey is around 15 to 20 km.
What is your business model?
We benefit from three sources of income. We receive a 5% commission when a trip is completed. We also sign partnerships with communities and benefit from the Energy Saving Certificate financed by groups such as Total, EDF, ENGIE, ENI and Leclerc…
Practical information: more information on ynstant.io.
Isabelle Dany.
