Carpoolin’ Canadian Style
Long gone are the days in which we had a five-minute drive to work, no traffic and little CO2 impact.
Commuters in Canadian cities regularly face hours of traffic every day. Not only does this have a negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions, but with the rising cost of fuel, insurance and tolls, it’s becoming harder and harder to financially justify the modes of transit we’re often times forced to choose.
Fortunately, a number of options exist to mitigate this challenge, especially in Edmonton, Alberta, the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa, Ontario:
Carpool.ca
www.carpool.ca is a commuter site designed for Edmonton residents to connect with other commuters who are open to carpooling. This site is free to use and encourages responsible selection of carpooling mates.
SmartCommute
For residents of the Greater Toronto Area who do not have access to the TTC, www.smartcommute.ca helps residents connect with others in their area open to carpooling.
OttawaRideMatch
For residents of the capital city, similar carpooling matches can be made at www.ottawaridematch.com.
Tips for carpooling wisely from Carpool.ca:
• Always meet your carpool mate in a public place where others are likely to see you meet. Share your carpool routine, contact information and pick up locations with someone else in your family.
• Never share your home address or home phone number with your carpool mate. Instead share cell phone numbers and establish a call tree as a back up plan in case one of you is sick or needs to bow out of your day to drive at the last minute.
• Settle on reimbursement costs and reimbursement schedules in advance, particularly if you won’t be equally sharing the driving responsibilities.
• Don’t be late. Arrive at your agreed upon time and establish rules on how to deal with lateness (i.e. How long to wait before leaving).
• No stopping. Part of the purpose of carpooling is to improve efficiencies and reduce stress. Be kind to your passengers and your drivers. Do not use carpooling for grocery trips and errands that can and should be saved for your own time.
• Make sure you’re covered. Many sites recommend a minimum of $1M coverage or better.
• Make sure you keep your vehicle well maintained. Don’t undermine the benefits of carpooling by driving a car that emits 2 or 3 times the emissions.
• Be kind to your fellow carpoolers. Refrain from using perfumes/colognes, and smoking while in transit.
