New App Lets People Share Their Boat

The newly launched peer-to-peer app We Are on a Boat matches people who would like to be on a boat with people who are willing to share their boat.

Once built as transportation routes, defense lines and water management systems, canals in cities such as Amsterdam, Venice and Bruges currently function more like recreation areas for both locals and tourists. If you don’t own a boat but still want to experience the city from the water, there’s often no other choice than getting one at a boat rental company. We Are on a Boat wants to provide a peer-to-peer alternative to this by letting private boat owners offer rides.

The app enables people who own a boat to activate ‘Captain Mode’, geotag their vehicle (along with a photo), and define the number of available places. People who are looking for a boat ride can place a request. The concept of the app is somewhat similar to how Uber works, apart from the fact that We Are on a Boat lets captains free to choose the reward they desire from the passengers — money, a bottle of wine, a hug, et cetera. The app was launched in Amsterdam, but the initiators hope that their boat sharing platform will soon be used in other cities as well.