Interest in carshare apps surges after BART strike

Just before hundreds of Bay Area Rapid Transit workers went on strike, the online ridesharing network Avego (ah-VAY'-goh) bought a new Web address: bartstrike.com.

Now, with 400,000 displaced commuters struggling to get to work, Avego isn't just offering a way to share a ride with a stranger. It's giving a few lucky commuters a free helicopter ride to bypass the traffic.

Avego is one of many startup rideshare companies marketing their services with gusto after this week's strike by San Francisco-area transit workers.

Paul Steinberg, Avego's director of operations for the Americas, says sign-ups have jumped from hundreds before the strike to thousands now.

Rideshare companies Uber (OO'-bur) and Sidecar have been running promoted Tweets that ensure people who search Twitter for "BART strike" would see an ad about their services.

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