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Comment by narrator | Hacker News Reader

Napkin design for a p2p ridesharing network: Create a cryptocurrency. Send a message with a bid for a ride to a new address that you control with the start and end point locations with how much you want to pay. Insert it in the blockchain. Driver sees bid in block chain and answers with a similar self message and arrives. When the driver arrives, transfer half to him and the other half when you get out.

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Napkin ways to completely blow this up:

1) Write a script to answer requests without ever intending to pick up.

2) Get out of the car, don't transfer the other half.

3) Sign up as a driver, and wait until you find an attractive/rich fare. Lock doors and do what you will.

Deregulation is not the answer for everything. Uber/Lyft works precisely because they are very well regulated to stop the cases I outline above, and more.

If you answer and don't show up then the first half of the fare is not transferred from the client and this leads to a bad reputation. Same for #2.

#3 can be avoided based on reputation previously gained. Maybe some sort of signup payment with a trusted vetting authority.

Anonymity is tough with physical stuff like cars and passengers. All the CPUC needs to do is have one of their people pretend to be a passenger and you're busted.

Who is busted? There is no service. Just someone paying someone else for a ride.

Are you saying that the CPUC wouldn't view the algorithm used to summon the ride as a "service"?

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