This year sees SA’s 1st ever Carpool Week, 7-11 October. It will raise awareness of the social and environmental benefits of carpooling, answer questions around safety and insurance, give tips on sharing best practice and learn from other carpoolers’ real life experiences. To encourage participation there are great prizes up for grabs and trees will be planted.
Says Daniel Claassen, founder of FindaLift: “Private vehicles remain the most common source of transport for individuals travelling to work with 32% of all South Africans. Every day, motorists drive around with empty seats in their cars, and with many commuting journeys being single occupancy, most cars on our roads have at least three empty seats in them. Empty seats waste road space and, indirectly, money. It costs R120 more to fill a 50l tank than 1 year ago. With fuel at over R13 a litre and an increasing need to reduce carbon emissions, just how much are empty car seats costing the commuter and the environment? And how can we make better use of these empty seats? For many South Africans sharing a journey could be a viable alternative transport option. It does not mean carpooling every day if not possible, even carpooling one day a week can help save money, meet new friends and be nicer to the environment. The commuter can save over R20 for every 50km shared with one other person. Share 3500km and a tree would have been ‘planted’!”
South African’s are encouraged to give carpooling a go during SA’s 1st Carpool Week, before you know it you might ask yourself why you had not done it years ago.
Find someone to carpool with in your area free and securely on www.findalift.co.za.
Any opinions or questions about carpooling can be Tweeted with #carpoolweekSA or emailed to support@findalift.co.za.
Visit www.carpoolweek.co.za for more information and how to participate to win prizes and help plant more trees.
Carpool Week is supported by Findalift.co.za, Miss Earth South Africa, Greenpop, The Enviropaedia, Change Agent, EcoPack, Urban Earth, Green Times, Green Office, Imagine Durban, Mooivaal Media, Climate Neutral Group, Global Carbon Exchange and more.