Is UberPool the latest way to speed date?

Would you consider speed dating in a stranger’s car? Before you shut down the idea, let me explain.

Last week, popular taxi service, Uber, formally introduced UberPool in Toronto. Just like traditional carpooling, UberPool picks up another person (or people) heading in the same direction as you, decreasing your fare by 30 percent. Sure, it means sharing a car with a total stranger, which could be awkward, but it also could be interesting. I mean, what if you found yourself sitting next to a new business contact, friend or even a love interest?

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Now, I’m not saying that UberPool is the new Tinder, Hinge, Bumble or any other dating app that’s probably launching as you’re reading this, but I am saying that meeting that special someone in an Uber is now totally possible. And because I like you guys, I decided to try it out to prove my point.

Last week I headed out to the Financial District in Toronto from West Queen West with a girlfriend in tow. Clicking on Uber, I noticed the new UberPool option and thought, why not give it a try?

“Ah no, it sounds sketchy,” my friend said.

I’ll admit, I was a little anxious about picking up a random on our way to the bar too, but one of my New Year’s resolutions was to try new things and this fit the bill. Smiling at her, I clicked on UberPool anyways and said, “maybe we’ll pick up a hot guy.” She laughed and together we waited for our adventure to begin.

Once the Uber arrived we couldn’t help chatting up our driver about the new service. He told us that it had just launched the night before and that people seemed to love it.

“I even had some passengers exchange phone numbers!” he told us.

So people are hooking up! I was still a little skeptical.

“Was it 1 a.m. though when everyone was super drunk?” I asked.

“No, it was around 8 p.m. and everyone appeared sober.”

Hmmm, now I was intrigued.

He informed us that we would be picking up Nathan along the way. I didn’t even have to say anything. My friend and I just looked at each other across the backseat and started laughing like teenage girls.

“He better be 30-something and single,” we joked to the driver. Okay, so maybe we weren’t joking.

Picking up Nathan meant a slight detour a block north of our original route. Within around thirty seconds the front passenger door opened and there he was. Not bad. As he turned back to say hello, he definitely fit the 30-something, possibly single criteria. Because it was a quick ride we didn’t get into tons of personal details but he seemed like a really friendly and cool guy. He even recommended some good snacks at the bar we were heading to. We arrived at our destination feeling good about our brief encounter and the fact that we saved around $12 on fare!

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The bar was quieter than we hoped so we decided to head to King West after finishing our drinks. We usually don’t bounce around that quickly but in light of the new low-cost travel option, we figured we didn’t have much to lose – or maybe we were just hooked on the idea of using UberPool again. Before I had a chance to reach for my phone, my friend had already requested our next ride.

Our Uber was three minutes away and our next fellow passenger, Mario, was already in the car. Nathan was such an amazing first passenger so we wondered if we might not get so lucky the second time and that Mario would be a psychopath.

When the car arrived, we could see Mario in the backseat. I didn’t want to cram in, so I took the front passenger seat and my friend joined Mario in the back. I turned to say hello and almost choked on my gum. Mario was smoking hot. I tried to appear unfazed by his ridiculous good looks and attempted casual conversation. He was heading to his Liberty Village home after grabbing an after-work drink with a colleague.

Our driver missed a turn, which resulted in a detour and a longer ride. We weren’t disappointed. The three of us chatted about everything from our favourite restaurants and bars in the city to where we grew up to TV shows. Once again, another super cool and friendly guy.

We reached our King West destination and reluctantly said bye to Mario.

“Ummm what was that?” my friend asked.

“I know, I love UberPool.”

We were bummed that Mario didn’t try to grab one of our numbers so we did what any rational woman would do and assumed he had a girlfriend. Surely that could be the only reason that he didn’t pick one of us up.

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To sum up our night, UberPool was really the highlight. While making small talk with a stranger on public transit can be intimidating, UberPool somehow breaks down the social barrier and creates an opportunity to speak to someone new. And if you happen to pick up a creep, you can always keep to yourself by playing on your smartphone or listening to music – that’s cool too. It’s whatever you and your fellow passenger want to make of it. And while I may not have found UberPool love the other night, I found a really interesting and affordable way to make my way around the city and that’s definitely worth something.

Have you tried out UberPool yet? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.