Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/819093
their home or sometimes to get home safely after a night out with friends locally. Wellesley's Chris Crowley, "a reasonably technical Dad being dragged into the 21st century by his children," says "the simplicity of waking up at 4:30 a.m. to catch an early flight to Logan and knowing that when I open an app I will find a ride circling nearby has elimi- nated both stress and cost from that trip." He also appreciates the technical safety underpinnings of such services in that, "My phone tracks where I am. The driver's phone identifies who picked me up. If I lose an item or wallet, there is no question where it went or who has it. I would rather that my daughters take a trackable Uber than hail a cab we may never be able to trace." Beyond Bartering Such collaborative consumption is clearly here to stay, and the Wellesley Police Department is even getting into the act. It's reworking its park- ing lot and will designate two spaces as safe exchange spots for people doing deals through websites such as craigslist. Wellesley resident Robert Blake, an econo- mist who works for a Boston-based investor education and analytics company called FinMason, says it's only natural for consum- ers to want to share — and profit from — their excess capacity. Doing so typically brings down the cost for the owner and buyer, even if there is an intermediary like Uber or ticket- exchange site like StubHub involved. s s 119 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s u m m e r 2 0 1 7