6 June 2014

Save money and help the environment by carpooling

More people in each car, fewer cars on the road helping speed up the traffic flow and big savings for everyone involved, that’s the message for Kiwi Carpool Week starting on Monday 9 June.

Carpooling is a great way to take the axe to your daily transport costs, the more people you carpool with, the more money you save. In Auckland you could save around $10 per day if there are two of you sharing a car.

Let’s look at the savings for two persons sharing a car and commuting 15kms each day:
• Petrol prices = $1.50 each
• Parking cost = up to $9 per day each
• Total daily cost = $21
• Savings per person = $10.50 per day; $52.50 per week (carpooling 5 days); $210.00 per month (carpooling 5 days a week for 4 weeks); $2,550 per year

Use the cost calculator on the Let’s Carpool site to fund out how much you could save – www.letscarpool.govt.nz

You can also visit the site to find people living and working near you who are looking to join a carpool, or talk to you friends and colleagues about setting up your own.

You don’t even need to carpool all the way to work. Consider sharing a car to a central place, and jumping on a train or bus from there.

Auckland Transport’s Manager Community Transport Matthew Rednall says it’s not only money you can save.

“Carpooling also reduces the number of cars on the road easing congestion and making it a faster trip for everyone plus having another person in the car makes your journey more enjoyable and interesting. Another benefit of having two people in the car is that you can use some transit lanes.”

Mr Rednall says there are just under 5000 people registered in Auckland for Let’s Carpool, so there’s a good chance of a suitable match.

ENDS

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