Culture

Pinpointing Ride-Hail Customers to Within Just a Few Feet

A London-based geocoding startup has developed a better way for e-hail drivers and riders to communicate with each other.
What3Words

In the growing app-based world of ride-hailing, relying on a simple street address alone still has its limitations. Often enough, an Uber or Lyft driver has trouble locating a customer’s address on the app’s map, or there is a misunderstanding in communicating the exact pickup location. Waiting for a smartphone-hailed ride frequently involves a last-minute telephone call between the customer and driver to pinpoint the exact pickup spot.

A London-based geocoding startup, What3Words, has been developing a better way for drivers and customers to communicate with each other, to a high degree of precision. Instead of depending on street addresses, What3Words assigns three words to any three-by-three square meter (9.8 square feet) area on the world's map.