Three college students from the University of Alabama created a tool recently that Chula Vista residents can use as long as they’ve got an iPhone.
The trio calls Get Me Home a socially responsible application because it was created as a byproduct of their first app, RedCup, which was developed to provide bar-goers with the best deals among bars in Tuscaloosa and other cities in the area.
Matt Staples, Nick Neveu and Ben Gordon met at the university four years ago and created Subvert LLC in September, a digital innovation company that creates applications for the iPhone.
“We’ve all had friends or people who have gotten DUIs,” Gordon said. “We want to help protect the people who are going out and drinking.”
Get Me Home is a free app that can be downloaded from the Apple website. It has a function that allows the user to let taxis know their exact location in two steps.
“You open your phone up, select the city and a taxi service,” Gordon said. “It’s that simple.”
Staples, 22, handles marketing; Neveu, 23, is head of programming; and Gordon, 22, is the graphic designer.
The guys promote the applications through their Facebook and Twitter pages as well as word of mouth.
“It’s really opening up some eyes and changing people’s reaction to the probably repetitive and tired message don’t drive drunk,” Gordon said. “Especially because it is easy to use, whimsical and in a new medium — an iPhone app.”
They are able to track the number of downloads on iTunes, but don’t have the ability to see who is actually using the app or how often.
The product is currently under development for Android phones and should be available in the next two months.
They taught themselves everything they needed to know to create the app.
Neveu said it only took four or five days to develop the product along with several hours of research.
“A process like this takes about a month,” Neveu said. “We programmed and designed it all in-house. We have tons of ideas for new apps.”
The guys are also working to develop the app in different languages, including Korean and Spanish.
Chula Vista Police Capt. Gary Wedge said, “Any device or application that can reduce the number of impaired drivers has the potential to be invaluable.”
Staples said they are looking into emailing surrounding high schools in Alabama to help spread the word about Get Me Home prior to spring break and prom.
Gordon said they are also looking into making potential contacts with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
As of last week, iPhone users in 115 cities are able to access the app, including more than a dozen cities in California.
Once downloaded, users can leave a comment on Subvertapps.com.
