A Couple Things to Make Your Commute Less Painful

You may use Google Maps or the vastly improved Apple Maps to get around…OR, you may be into Google’s Waze app, with it’s heavily crowd sourced information and whimsical emoji. Now, bgr.com reports they’ve added to Waze’s selection of celebrity guests. A NFL player and Neil Patrick Harris have been included, but the real ‘get’ is Stephen Colbert, who was quoted as saying “For years, I navigated the roadways using a compass, a sextant and the guidance offered by the stars, but now I can just listen to my own dulcet tones instructing me on Waze.” And you just heard that in your head in his voice, not mine!

The other help for drivers…particularly in parking deficient places like San Francisco…is from on-demand parking startup ZIRX. According to techcrunch.com, BWM i Ventures has signed on as a strategic investor. The car maker may be looking to integrate the service right into the dash of their cars, particularly electric ones…which may have a more limited range, and can’t circle around forever trying to find that parking spot. ZIRX customers can also get help finding car washes, oil changes, and gas stations. The plan to add finding smog checks, tire pressure checks, and tire changes soon. ZIRX is presently in San Francisco, San Diego, LA, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and New York.