Carpoolers from the Department of Conservation, Delia Smal, Steph Weller, and Alan White
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Car pooling is not everyone?s idea of a pleasant morning ride; as Dante once put it, ?Hell is other people?. That hasn?t stopped 250 less sceptical individuals signing up to Let?s Carpool; a website launched by the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) last month. Although 250 people aren't currently car-pooling, as many are waiting for their perfect match to also sign up. Contact Energy IT employee Jenny McCarthy, says she signed up for the, ?Environmental and financial benefits and to save money on petrol, and not contribute to any more of the world ills?. Having never car-pooled before she stipulated no preferences for a travelling buddy, and even left the non-smoker option open. ?I want to attract as many candidates as possible, unfortunately there?s not been anyone yet, but hopefully there will as the service gains more popularity,? she says. Ms McCarthy travels from Paremata to work at High St in Lower Hutt, a 25-minute-journey over Hayward?s Hills. Let?s Carpool are financing ?guaranteed emergency rides home? for businesses that join the car-pooling scheme, which makes Ms McCarthy even more committed. ?I was apprehensive about approaching my employer to ask if they will come on board with this. ?So the [emergency ride incentive] makes me feel much more tempted to approach Contact. ?It?s certainly one of the dilemmas I have car pooling, because there is not much you can do if it fell through,? says McCarthy. For the first six months of the programme GWRC is subsidising ?emergency rides? for car-poolers. GWRC sustainable transport planner Ping Sim says, ?Emergency ride cover has good results internationally, and it?s a very affordable scheme to run?. The emergency ride comes into effect when car-poolers desperately need to get home or to any destination and the cost of a taxi is covered. ?A lot of people worry about something happening to their family, and they want to be able to get there straight away. Ms Sim say in the United States the scheme has been a success because emergency rides are few and far between. ?So we will underwrite this expense for those workplaces that are keen to offer this but want an idea of how much it?s likely to cost.? Ms McCarthy says some commitments you just can?t miss, ?It just doesn?t work to put off picking up kids?. ?The site is really easy and user friendly, especially their map which shows your route and all the car-poolers along the way. ?I like the ?free format? section that allows you to list things like bike racks, so if it?s raining a torrent you can pick up bikers,? she says. The website is letscarpool.govt.nz.
