More than 250,000 people across the country are expected to attend the Women's March on Washington the day after President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. That means hundreds of thousands of people have had to figure out how to get to and from the event.
Adam Nestler sees that logistical conundrum as a giant business opportunity: On Saturday, his ride-sharing charter bus company, Skedaddle, will transport 11,000 people to and from Washington, D.C.
Skedaddle CEO Nestler says people from states such as New York, Iowa, and Georgia are using his app to book rides to the march. "The alternative for many of the people in these communities is trying to figure out carpools or chartering buses on their own," he says.
Skedaddle is essentially the Uber Pool of buses, shuttles, and other large vehicles. Its goal is to make city-to-city travel easier for users and take advantage of the glut of charter vehicles that sit underused in parking lots most of the time, says Nestler.
To book a ride, a user logs into the Skedaddle app and puts in his route (i.e., New York City to D.C.) as well as his desired pickup location and time. As long as nine other people sign up for the same route at least 48 hours ahead of the departure, the ride is booked. The company uses data to match the customer to the nearest bus company, using variables like the size of the route and the proximity to a transportation provider. A professional driver from one of Skedaddle's 500-plus vetted transportation companies picks up the riders from a single location and gets them to their destination.
Though Nestler wouldn't disclose the total number of users, he says Skedaddle transports roughly 50,000 people each month. The company also has $3 million in venture capital.
