Carpooling is becoming a popular trend for the environment and your pockets
How often do you notice that there are so many drivers in the same direction as you, but wherever you stop to find a carpool buddy, the person next to you seems to be in a different direction?
Carpooling has been a popular option for years and more people are now looking for carpool buddies. Carpooling is not only good for your bank account, it also reduces the amount of traffic on our roads. But does this mean it’s time to ditch public transport and start carpooling? Maybe, maybe not, let’s explore why you should consider it.
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Carpooling is not a new concept, and it has been gaining momentum in the last few years. The idea is to share a ride to work, school, or other activities with another person from your area. You can do this by pairing up or looking for a carpool buddy
It is a sustainable way to get to work because it’s environmentally friendly and it saves you money.
The environment-friendly benefits of carpooling are clear-cut — you don’t need to drive alone and you won’t be adding as much CO2 emissions into the air. For example, if two friends take one separate cars on 10km trip with each engine running at 40% load, they will release 6 kilograms of CO2 emissions into the air. If they shared that same 10km distance traveling in one car, they would emit only 3 kilograms of CO2. This is because only one engine needs to run at full.
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report that found that every day nearly 1 million people die as a result of air pollution. The WHO estimates that by 2030, this rate will increase to 2.4 million deaths per day, with 82% of these occurring in the developing world.
So why not carpool? It can save you up to R150 each day and reduces your carbon footprint by up to 4%. It also boosts your community’s sustainability efforts!
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Carpooling is becoming a more environment-friendly and cost-effective way of commuting. It helps you to save money, and reduce your carbon footprint and the traffic congestion on South Africa’s roads by sharing your journey and by taking countless cars off the road.
Here are some pro’s and con’s of carpooling.
Pros:
- Savings on fuel costs.
- Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions created by vehicles.
- Shorten your commute time as there will be more cars than people at a stop point.
- Less pollution as vehicles emit less harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Cons: Limited privacy as you will have to share a seat with someone else for the whole ride, lack of control over your morning routine and the possibility of being late for work due to traffic delays or getting lost during the trip.
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According to Climate Change, South Africa’s emissions of CO2 per capita, is three times higher than the global average. Carpooling in South Africa can help reduce this and make an impact on our environment as well as your pocket.
If you are considering carpooling, here are 3tips to find a carpool buddy:
1) Check if your workplace provides transport benefits or not — if they do then you can use that as an opportunity to carpool with them!
2) Find like-minded individuals through social media groups that offer carpooling opportunities.
3) Craigslist — there are many listings for people who need a ride or sharing one with others.
Apart from the fact that it is environmentally friendly, carpooling has some other benefits. Firstly, it is cheaper than driving your own car on a daily basis. Secondly, you get to meet a lot of new people and make friends on the way. In early December 2021, there was a trending story on social media of a couple that met on one of the carpooling rides. They had met earlier in 2021 and the man decided to propose in December before their story went viral. Who knows? Maybe you might meet your soulmate or a business partner in one of the carpooling rides.
Most South Africans are quite dependent on private transport which means we have a high CO2 emission per capita. In addition to this, depending on your company car policy and how often you take public transport, driving your own vehicle can be very expensive.
Carpooling in South Africa has been steadily growing in popularity with startups like Waze Carpool and Jumpstart focusing their efforts on taking care of the commuters who want to join their carpooling platform. You can easily join these carpool platforms by registering through the apps. Once you are registered you should find available travel buddies around your area using the GPS. Cartrack has a convenient mobile app available to find the nearest driver or a vehicle’s live location.
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In the past few years, carpooling has become increasingly popular not just in South Africa but worldwide. The need to find cost-effective transport solutions and the desire to reduce carbon footprint have given this trend a sense of urgency.
The best thing about carpooling is that there are far more positives than negatives to it. It not only helps you save money, it also helps with traffic congestion and reduces a city’s pollution.
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The average commuter spends about R150 000 per year on car ownership costs. That’s more than double what a public transport user spends to get around!
Carpooling is a great way to save money and help the environment, which is why it’s considered one of the most sustainable modes of transportation.
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In modern society, commuting is a way of life. This is especially true for those living in or near a city. Transportation facilities, such as buses and trains, are usually overcrowded and inefficient. Commuting on a daily basis to work or school burns up petrol, which is bad for your pocket and the environment.
Carpooling can be accomplished through traditional carpool services or by finding a carpool buddy to share rides with every day.
The benefits of carpooling are many: it’s cheaper than driving your own car, it’s easier than taking public transportation, you have someone to talk with on your commute, you have access to more parking lots at work or school, and there
