FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Never carpooled before or have some questions? Learn more about carpooling with answers to frequently asked questions.
- What is carpooling?
- Why should I carpool?
- What are my carpool options?
- How is my privacy protected?
- Who does the driving?
- What if I don't have a car?
- How much should carpool passengers pay?
- How much will I save by carpooling?
- Do I have to carpool every day?
- What happens if I'm sick?
- What happens if I oversleep or I'm late?
- What if I have an appointment or errands to run before / after work?
- What if I have to drive my child to day care or school?
- What if I have an emergency or find out I have to work late?
- How do I avoid carpooling with unsafe drivers and/or people who make me uncomfortable?
- What if my carpool isn't working out?
What is carpooling?
Carpooling is when two or more people commute to work or other destinations together for all or part of a journey. It is also known as ridesharing. Individuals work out their own arrangements such as who drives, how often, schedules, and payment for petrol and maintenance.
Why should I carpool?
Carpool will help you save money on petrol and parking by splitting driving costs among two or more commuters. It’s a great way to meet people while saving the environment.
What are my carpool options?
The carpool scheme is set up so you can share rides with co-workers to and from home, a transit location, day care, or school. Depending on your schedule, you can carpool once a week or every day and share the car round-trip or just one way.
How is my privacy protected?
Your privacy is important to us and we've made every effort to protect your personal privacy while also providing sufficient information for people to see their potential carpool matches and be able to contact them.
There are several things you can do to protect your privacy. When you register, enter a nearby intersection or street as your starting point that you are comfortable with other people seeing. This does not need to be your home address, you may choose to walk to the local shops, or a nearby location and can be picked up from there. Only the nearby intersection will be shown to other users, not the street address you entered. We have restricted the zoom function on the map so people cannot zoom in to view the exact location of your origin.
Enter a phone number that you are comfortable having people contact you on in the registration form. This could be your general work number rather than your direct dial if you prefer.
Refer to our Privacy Statement and Terms and Conditions for more information.
Who does the driving?
In some carpools, each carpool member takes turns driving their own vehicle, while in others there is only one driver. There is no hard and fast rule - it is totally dependent upon the individual circumstances of those in your carpool group.
What if I don't have a car?
No problem – you don’t have to have a car to participate in a carpool scheme. When you are registering simply indicate that you want to be a passenger only. You can join a carpool that doesn’t need a driver and pay your share of the petrol and parking (if applicable).
How much should carpool passengers pay?
In carpooling where driving is equally shared, no money usually changes hands as each member is using their personal vehicle an equal amount of time. When only one person does the driving, or when there is an unequal split of driving responsibilities, the cost-sharing arrangement should be discussed by those in the carpool. The carpool members are free to base the costs on whatever they decide.
How much will I save by carpooling?
If you can share in the cost of commuting to and from work by carpooling with others, your potential savings are significant. The more carpool members are in your group, the more savings you can expect. Sharing a ride with just one other person cuts your approximate daily commute costs by half.
For example cost savings for two persons carpooling, commuting 15kms per day are:
- Petrol prices = $1.50
- Parking cost = $10 per day
- 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 to find out how much you could save.
Do I have to carpool every day?
No. You can carpool every day, a few days a week, or once a week. You and your carpool members decide the schedule. Some people even belong to more than one carpool - you may carpool with one group on Mondays and Tuesdays and then join a second carpool for the remainder of the week.
What happens if I'm sick?
Call your carpool partner or follow the chain of communication that has been decided upon at your initial meeting. If you're the driver, try to give as much advance warning as possible.
What happens if I oversleep or am late?
Being late, or having to wait longer than anticipated, is one of the most common reasons carpooling fails. Carpooling works best when people can rely on each other. Each carpool should have clearly defined guidelines for how long they will wait.
What if I have an appointment or errands to run before / after work?
Schedule your errands and appointments on the days you don’t carpool. Carpooling for just two or three days a week will still save you money, reduce stress, reduce traffic, and improve air quality.
What if I have to drive my child to day care or school?
If you would like to settle your child in at day care before leaving, or walk your child to school you can make the day care or school your pick up location on your registration form.
If you wish to drop your child off to day care or school after you have picked up other carpoolers, you can mention this in the comments box on the registration form.
What if I have an emergency or I find out I have to work late?
We encourage employers to offer staff who carpool a taxi ride or other means or transport in the event of an emergency. This means you can carpool with peace of mind without worrying about transport to a school, hospital or home in the event of an emergency.
If your employer does not offer an emergency ride home you may wish to put aside some of the money you save by carpooling for your own transport in an unexpected event.
More information on how we support employers interested in offering an emergency ride is available under the employer resources section.
How do I avoid carpooling with unsafe drivers and/or people who make me uncomfortable?
Once you’ve identified a potential carpool partner, it’s recommended that you e-mail and/or call them to begin the process of getting to know them. Arrange a meeting in a public place before starting to carpool, and discuss driving safety. If needed, request contact information for personal references, and make sure to exchange emergency contact and any necessary medical information prior to starting the carpool. Don’t travel with someone you don’t trust. There are plenty of other possible matches available for you.
What if my rideshare isn't working out?
Give your carpool sufficient notice that you will be leaving. You can look for a new carpool partner or group and try again.
