When UberPOOL launched, I was skeptical. No, I did not want to share my Uber ride with strangers to save a few extra bucks. I didn’t think it was for me. What can I say – I’m a tad pretentious. But then, once, I accidentially hit the wrong button, and an UberPOOL car was on the way to my house. I sighed, and decided I would give it a try.

When the car arrived, I opened the door, and to my pleasant surprise, there was an adorable man sitting in the back seat. I climbed in, awkwardly said hi, and we took off. When I got out of the car, I had made a new friend and I had his number in my phone. UberPOOL was actually the perfect place to meet someone.

It got me thinking. Is UberPOOL the new plane? Since time immemorial, people have sat down on airplanes, next to perfect strangers, and struck up conversations. Sometimes you try to avoid speaking to them, but you simply can’t, because well, proximity always wins.

Glamour has written articles about how to meet dates on planes, and my friends’ parents even met that way, so I know it can happen for real. And if you haven’t seen French Kiss with Meg Ryan circa 1995, you’re really missing out. There is even a website called wemetonaplane.com, where couples tell their flight missed connection stories in hopes of finding that charming stranger.

So when I got out of that first UberPOOL, it made perfect sense. UberPOOL is the new best place to accidentally meet someone great. It’s hardly an inconvenience, and as it turns out, I really do appreciate saving those few dollars over time. One of the things I have learned as a matchmaker is that you have to put yourself in situations where you could potentially meet your match, and clicking UberPOOL instead of regular Uber is a pretty darn easy way to do just that.

And when you do, here are a few tips to make sure you get the most of your ride:

Bring business cards so you can easily hand them out as you hop out of the car.
Strike up a conversation with everyone, even if you aren’t initially attracted to them, because it might be their best friend, or their cousin, or their roommate that you end up with.
Be on time. No one likes the person who keeps them waiting.
Don't be a jerk to the driver – it’s not only common decency, it’s the mobile equivalent of being rude to the waiter on a date.

You heard it here first – UberPOOL is the new plane, and is officially matchmaker-endorsed.