As ride-sharing apps Uber and Lyft continue to battle it out for the No. 1 spot, Google has made an announcement that could redefine what a ride-sharing service really is. Google is using its navigation app Waze to develop a ride-sharing program called Waze Carpool that will allow drivers and passengers who are traveling the same route to work to link up and carpool.

Waze is a free, community-based navigation app that allows users to update it in real time, notifying other users of any accidents, construction or speed traps they encounter along their driving route. The app provides voice-guided turn-by-turn directions and remembers any frequent routes the user takes.

Google purchased Waze in 2013, and this new foray into ride sharing could provide a way for the company to monetize the app. The app currently has an estimated 50 million users, and if Waze Carpool becomes popular, advertising revenue will likely increase.

Unlike Uber and Lyft, Google wants the service to promote carpooling and is only offering to pay drivers 54 cents per mile to cover gas and other expenses. Additionally, Google is not taking any cut of that pay, enabling the app to avoid government regulation. The tech giant ultimately hopes the app will enable users to save on gas while reducing pollution and traffic on popular daily commute routes.

Those who want to be a driver will be able to use their current Waze app to communicate with riders and handle any payments, but those interested in hitching a ride will need to install the free Waze Rider app, which will be available for Android and iOS devices. The app will then match riders with drivers with similar commute routes. One driver is matched with one rider on a day-to-day basis.

Users can only use the app twice a day, morning and evening, since the app is intended to be used for commuting to and from work. Anyone who installs the Waze app or the Waze Rider app will be able to take advantage of the carpooling service — a fact that presents a potential obstacle in its mass adoption.

Drivers will not be subjected to the extensive background checks that Uber and Lyft have made standard in their services. Instead, Google is counting on the users to keep themselves and others safe by rating drivers.

The service is currently in the pilot stage of development and is only being offered to employees of a select few Silicon Valley companies, including Wal-Mart and Apple. Employees at the Google-selected companies can sign up for the service by downloading the Waze Rider app. For now, all others interested in using the service can enter their information on the Waze Carpool website to be notified once (and if) the program expands.

It is yet to be seen whether users will be hesitant to get into a stranger's car, but that worry could be dispelled altogether once Google incorporates driverless cars into the mix. Google has not set an official release date for its autonomous cars to go commercial, but the company is currently testing them on the roads of Mountain View, California, and Austin, Texas.

The company's recent patent of technology that enables driverless cars to recognize flashing lights from emergency vehicles and pull over if needed is a likely indicator that the driverless technology is making the necessary safety advancements.

Competition in the driverless market from Uber certainly gives Google incentive to get the cars ready as soon as possible. Uber has been testing its driverless cars in Pittsburgh this summer.

It will be a race between the two companies to see which is able to master the technology first, but it will be interesting to see if the Uber model of ride-hailing or carpooling or maybe some combination of both will be the future of travel on the roadways.