How to make friends – and save fuel money
AS petrol prices soar and money gets tighter, more people are opting to carpool with others going in their direction.
Sharing rides with co-workers is a growing phenomenon as people around the world feel the pinch.
And after the world celebrated International Ride-Sharing Day on Friday, South Africa launched its first National Carpooling Week, starting today,
The week is the initiative of the Find a Lift group, which helps South Africans find people living near them who travel in the same direction.
More than 32% of all trips to work are by private cars, most with only one person in the vehicle.
Carpool Week is aimed at raising awareness of the social and environmental benefits of sharing lifts.
Find A Lift founder Daniel Claassen said carpooling one day a week would save money, ease traffic, make a difference to the environment – and help people make new friends.
Kouga municipal employee Ncumisa Sikanisi, who travels 130km to and from work with four of her colleagues daily, is saving R3 000 a month in fuel costs since she started carpooling. “We all have cars, but found that we spent on average R1 000 a week on petrol, whereas now we each fork out the same amount in a month,” she said.
“It’s beneficial for everyone – plus I have made good friends and mentors. That’s because there are people I met who are older and wiser. I’m learning a lot from them,” she said.
Maryke Hendricks, who works at Moffett on Main in Port Elizabeth, gives a lift to and from work to three colleagues.
“It’s a win-win situation for us all. The price of petrol is a killer at the moment and so is taxi fare.
“They pay far less than what their taxi fare is.”
Twitter users who posted under the hashtag #carpoolweekSA shared their experiences.
@Gerald tweeted: “The rising fuel price was affecting my pockets [and] it’s good to have company while driving.”
@Reinette posted: “Together we save nearly R5 000 per month. We are like a little family.” But carpooling is not for everyone.
@Suzette tweeted: “One carpooler complained about everything and was very demanding. She is not in our carpool anymore.”