Ride-sharing companies provide taxi-like services by connecting passengers to drivers via a smart phone app. Rides can be arranged in advance or on short notice. The official name for a ride-sharing business is a Transportation Network Company.  Ride-sharing has come a long way in the past several years. When ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft first came out people were nervous about the drivers and if it was really a secure way to get from point a to point b ( as stated in the above meme). However, ride sharing has become mainstream especially in cities and areas that rely on public transportation. Ride-sharing companies provide taxi-like services by connecting passengers to drivers via a smart phone app. Rides can be arranged in advance or on short notice. The official name for a ride-sharing business is a Transportation Network Company. A new app in the ride-sharing market is Juno that compensates it’s drivers even more so than Uber or Lyft. Overall, ride sharing is a great way for commuters to get around affordably and as more companies join the market consumers stand to benefit.

When dining out with friends it can sometimes be awkward to split the check depending on who has cash on them and who leaves the tip. Mobile payments apps such as Venmo take the guess work out of splitting purchases with your friends. Venmo allows users to sign up with their bank accounts and easily send and receive money from their friends on the app. Here is a typical view of Venmo from a request screen, to the timeline displaying all of your friends transactions and the final charge request. 

The convenience factor of Venmo has won the app popularity among Millennials. However, many consumers are concerned about security of mobile payments. While there are some security concerns due to the delayed transfer of money (Venmo takes one business day to transfer money between accounts). The site warns that consumers should be aware of who they are transacting with because with the delay of transfer people can cancel the transfer without the other party noticing. As with all online transactions, consumers should be cautious of who they are transacting with and monitor their account closely. Overall, Venmo is a convenient app for consumers looking to transfer and receive money from friends and trusted accounts but extra caution should be taken.