Inspiration

As event organizers ourselves, we were constantly overwhelmed by carpool coordination chaos, juggling messy group chats, last-minute changes, and unclear commitments. We realized that there’s no tool designed specifically to solve the pain of organizing group rides smoothly. That’s when Where Is My Car was born, a tool built for organizers who deserve to enjoy the events they plan.

What it does

  • Create events and collect participant info via a single signup link
  • Let users indicate if they can drive, need a ride, or offer seats
  • Auto-match drivers and riders based on location and capacity
  • View driver assignments and pickup times clearly
  • Check routes on Google Maps
  • Manage everything from one clean dashboard

Challenges we ran into

  • Pickup Sequence Optimization Problem: Determining the optimal order of pickup points when multiple locations are involved
  • Real-time Traffic vs. Expected Conditions Problem: Geographic environment and pickup timing create discrepancies between real-time traffic conditions and pre-planned routes

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Full-stack app built in under a week
  • Functional AI-assisted car matching and clear driver assignments
  • Polished UI with working forms, matching logic, and a real-time dashboard

What we learned

  • How to integrate multiple technologies in a short timeframe
  • Importance of designing for edge cases (e.g., no drivers, dropouts)
  • Team communication and version control under time pressure
  • Real-world UX validation — making it actually usable for organizers

What's next for Where Is My Car

  • Launch public beta for student clubs, outdoor groups, and travel teams

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