Nissan Wants To Pay You To Carpool

If you happen to live in Tennessee and don’t have a problem picking up strangers then Nissan has the app for you.

The automaker has teamed up with up with Hytch to promote carpooling as a way to reduce congestion and explore future mobility solutions. As part of the initiative, the companies have launched the new Hytch Rewards app which aims to connect friends, co-workers and neighbors in an effort to get them to carpool together.

Once the app confirms you’re traveling with another Hytch Rewards member, it will track your route and then reward users for traveling together. Hytch’s website says users will “earn $0.01 per mile anywhere in Tennessee and $0.05 per mile within the 10 county area known as Middle Tennessee.” The app also allows other companies to sponsor carpooling rides and Hytch says some users may be able to earn $0.12 or more per mile in certain areas. That doesn’t sound like much but Hytch notes the average cost of gasoline is less than $0.10 per mile.

While it seems odd that Nissan would get involved in the effort, the company sees the “opportunity as a competitive advantage because the app will enable a better understanding of consumer behavior as more people embrace new forms of mobility, like carpooling, car sharing and ride sharing.” The automaker also noted that data suggests a six percent adoption rate in carpooling would eliminate 1,500 trips into Nashville everyday and this would be the equivalent of adding an extra lane to the interstate.