"Your open seat is waiting"

Carpooling web app for closed communities (universities, clubs, companies). Mobile-first, built for social connection — not just saving costs.

Live: openseat-app.com

Install these tools before starting:

Used for authentication, database, and file storage.

1. Go to console.firebase.google.com
2. Create a new project (or use existing)
3. Enable Authentication > Sign-in method > Email/Password
4. Enable Cloud Firestore (start in test mode for development)
5. Enable Storage (for profile photos and driver's licenses)
6. Go to Project Settings > General > Your apps > Add web app
7. Copy the Firebase config values

Cost: Free (Spark plan). Covers up to 50K reads/day, 20K writes/day, 1GB storage.

Used for maps, directions, address autocomplete, and geocoding.

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
2. Create a project (or use the same Firebase project)
3. Enable billing — required by Google even for free tier. Google gives $200/month free credit, more than enough for development and a hackathon demo
4. Enable these APIs in APIs & Services > Library:
   • Maps JavaScript API — renders the map
   • Places API — address autocomplete suggestions
   • Directions API — driving routes on the map
   • Geocoding API — converts addresses to coordinates
5. Create an API key in APIs & Services > Credentials
6. Recommended: restrict the key by HTTP referrer (your-domain.com/*, localhost:3000/*) and by API (only the 4 above)

Cost: Free within $200/month credit. Typical hackathon usage is under $5.

Used for hosting and deployment.

1. Go to vercel.com and sign up with GitHub
2. Import the repository
3. Add environment variables in project settings (see below)

Cost: Free (Hobby plan). Includes custom domains, SSL, and automatic deploys.

A custom domain (e.g., openseat-app.com) can be purchased from any registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).

Cost: ~$12/year for a .com domain.

To connect to Vercel:

1. Add the domain in Vercel project settings
2. Set DNS records at your registrar:
   • A record: @ pointing to 76.76.21.21
   • CNAME record: www pointing to cname.vercel-dns.com

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/DaleApp/OpenSeat.git
cd OpenSeat

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Create environment file
cp .env.example .env.local

Fill in .env.local with your credentials:

# Firebase
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_firebase_api_key
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_project.firebaseapp.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your_project.appspot.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your_sender_id
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your_app_id

# Google Maps
NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your_google_maps_api_key

# 4. Run development server
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000.

Set NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_MODE=true in .env.local to bypass Firebase auth and use mock data. This enables a floating user-switch button to change between demo users.

npm i -g vercel
vercel login
vercel --prod

1. Import the GitHub repo at vercel.com/new
2. Vercel auto-detects Next.js
3. Add all environment variables from .env.local in the project settings
4. Deploy

Add the same variables from .env.local in Vercel > Project Settings > Environment Variables. Make sure to add them for the Production environment.

src/
  app/
    (auth)/           # Login, Register (no nav)
      login/
      register/
    (main)/           # App pages (TopBar + BottomNav)
      home/           # Personalized home with rides and events
      ride/
        search/       # Search rides with filters
        new/          # Publish a ride
        [id]/         # Ride detail + request flow
          rate/       # Post-ride rating
      events/
        [id]/         # Event detail + event rides
      profile/
        [id]/         # Other user's profile
    page.tsx          # Landing page
  components/
    auth/             # LoginForm, RegisterForm, DemoUserSwitch
    events/           # EventCard, EventRideList
    ride/             # RideCard, RideDetail, RideMap, RideForm, SearchFilters, etc.
    social/           # SocialHint, StatsCard, BadgeGrid, RatingForm, etc.
    ui/               # Button, Input, Tag, Avatar, Card, TopBar, BottomNav, etc.
  lib/
    auth.ts           # Firebase auth functions
    auth-context.tsx  # Auth context + provider + useAuth hook
    db.ts             # Firestore functions (mock data for hackathon)
    maps.ts           # Google Maps loader + geo utilities
    mock-data.ts      # Mock users, rides, events
    social.ts         # Social hint computation
    formatters.ts     # Date/time formatters, vibe labels
  types/
    user.ts           # User, Car, Badge, GeoPoint types
    ride.ts           # Ride, RidePassenger, RideFilters types
    event.ts          # CommunityEvent type

• Domain-validated auth — Only @unc.edu emails allowed (frontend validation, demo mode available)
• Publish rides — Origin/destination with Google Places autocomplete, date, time range, seats, vibe, pickup model
• Search rides — Filter by destination, date, time, sorted by proximity to user
• Ride detail & request — Google Maps route, smart meeting points, pickup compatibility check
• Community events — Event listings with linked rides, publish rides for specific events
• Social hints — "You both study CS and like basketball" based on shared major, interests, clubs
• Vibe matching — Chatty, chill, music lover, study mode, podcast, sing-along
• Google Maps integration — Real driving routes, address autocomplete, meeting point calculation
• Mobile-first design — Optimized for 375px with bottom navigation

• Real email verification with code
• In-app chat between riders
• Real push notifications
• Venmo / Zelle payment integration
• Admin web panel
• Recurring rides (e.g., "every Tuesday" schedules)
• Community feed
• Real-time location sharing during ride
• Automatic badge unlock logic (currently hardcoded)
• Multi-tenant organizations (multiple universities/companies)
• Waitlist for full rides
• Advanced meeting point calculation with routing optimization

Private project. All rights reserved.