frequently asked questions
What are the conditions for participation?
Students who decide to participate have to be 18 years of age or older.
Drivers must have a valid drivers liscense (in accordance to PR traffic laws).
Participation students must be a part of UPRM.
Do I need a parking permit for entering the ROCS parking spot?
A parking permit of Area Blanca is not necessary; but, your car has to be registered with the department of Tránsito y Vigilancia at UPRM (i.e., another UPRM's parking permit - sello naranja, verde, violeta). Security guards have also been instructed to allow students that show system's QR code into Area Blanca.
What times should I input in the app for reservation?
Driver: The time you input for the reservation is ONLY for the time the car is inside the ROCS parking. Time of reservation does not include time for pick up or dropping off passangers. In other words, reservation time should match the time you are present at university grounds.
Passenger: Time of reservation does not include the time needed for pick up or dropping off. In other words, reservation time should match the time you wish to be present at university grounds.
How many people will be included in the carpool?
The amount of people in a carpool depend on each individual vehicle capacity. There is a possibility that a driver goes on its own. The capacity of a car might also not reach its full availability (i.e., if the capacity is 4, the carpool might be of 3 people).
Does the app notify the time for pick up?
No, the app only confirms/notifies the reservation time for the parking spot. Each driver should estimate the time it needs to detour to look for carpool passangers and arrive on time to the university.
What happens if a passenger is not ready on time?
If a passenger is more than 5 minutes late, a driver is allowed to move on with pick up or drop off of other passengers.
How much is the detour time for picking up passengers?
The optimization model is based on minimizing the distance between users in a carpool. The model was developed with the intent of drivers picking up passengers that are either along on their standard route or no more than 10 minutes away.
I'm a passenger, what happens if my driver cancelled?
The system will try to match you with an existing carpool; the passenger might result in getting picked up ahead of their reservation time and/or leaving after its reservation time.
I'm a driver, what happens if one of my passengers cancelled?
The app will send you a notification that one of your passengers has cancelled. The driver may proceed in picking up or dropping off the rest of the passengers in the carpool.
I'm a passanger, what happens if my driver didn't arrive for picking me up or dropping me off?
If a driver has taken too long to arrive, the ROCS' team is prepared to deal with these situations by having autombiles ready to take home any passenger that its needed.
One of my classes got cancelled and now I want to leave the university before the time that my reservation is supposed to be done. What do I do?
This is a prototype created for research purposes, it would be best for the participant to continue with their reservation. Nevertheless, you always have the option to cancel your carpool.
What location should I use on the app?
The location you input when making the reservation is the one where the carpool driver will be picking you up and dropping you off. We recomend to input the location of your usual residence when you are going to the university.