SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/14/13 -- SideCar (www.side.cr), the leading on-demand rideshare community, announced today it has acquired the assets of Heyride, Inc, an Austin-based rideshare community. SideCar uses smartphones to connect everyday drivers with a car with people nearby who need a ride. The acquisition immediately builds out SideCar's operational presence in Austin in time for SXSW 2013. Already popular in San Francisco and Seattle with more than 100,000 connected rides, SideCar will begin rides in Philadelphia, Austin and Los Angeles this weekend and is actively recruiting drivers in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and Boston.

"We've heard from people across the country and around the world that they want the SideCar community to take root in their cities and towns," said Sunil Paul, CEO of SideCar. "Heyride's talented team has developed a unique design and experience that will help take the rideshare movement we started here in San Francisco nationwide. We are thrilled to welcome Heyride to the SideCar family."

SideCar and Heyride have a shared vision for empowering communities to solve transportation problems. Heyride's world-class user experience and design team will join SideCar's product team to focus on creating an outstanding experience for SideCar drivers and riders. Heyride's assets include its critically acclaimed iPhone application for ridesharing available at Heyride.com. Founded in 2012, Heyride was born out of the team's frustration with the limited transportation options during the city's SXSW festival.

During its initial launch phase SideCar will be available for drivers and riders Friday and Saturday nights from 5pm - 3am in West LA, Venice, Santa Monica and Culver City in Los Angeles; and downtown Austin and Philadelphia. Expanded hours and days will follow as the community grows. SideCar is actively recruiting drivers in New York, Chicago, Boston and Washington, DC. Drivers can sign up to be part of the community at www.side.cr/drive. SideCar's free mobile application is available for download for riders via the App Store for iPhone and GooglePlay for Android users.

How SideCar works
SideCar matches everyday drivers with a car with people nearby who need a ride. It's like getting a ride from a friend or a neighbor when you want it. Riders place a request to share a ride by setting a pick-up and drop off location using the SideCar app. Once the request is accepted, drivers can be viewed approaching in real-time. Riders can make a voluntary donation at the end of the ride.

SideCar has many features in place to keep riders and drivers safe. All SideCar drivers are pre-vetted for safety. All rides are tracked and passengers can share their progress and ride status in text, email and social media. Donations are made through the app, so the entire experience is cashless and hassle-free. The SideCar community sets and enforces high standards for safety and quality. Drivers and riders rate one another and people with low ratings are removed from the SideCar community. SideCar's safety features can be found at www.side.cr/safety

About SideCar
SideCar (Side.cr), the leading on-demand rideshare community, uses smartphones to connect everyday drivers with a car with people nearby who need a ride. It's a safe, affordable, convenient and fun way to get around the city. Founded in San Francisco in 2012. The company's investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Google Ventures, Spring Ventures, Huron River Ventures, SV Angel, Lerer Ventures and others. The free mobile application is available for download for riders via the App Store for iPhone and GooglePlay for Android users. Drivers can sign up to be part of the community at www.side.cr/drive.