National carpool website launches

28th June 2012

National carpool website launches

Auckland Transport and the Greater Wellington Regional Council have joined forces to launch a new carpool website set to become the market leader in New Zealand for commuter carpooling.

Over the past few months, Auckland Transport has worked closely with Greater Wellington Regional Council, with support from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), to develop a national carpooling service and brand. The new website is now live at www.letscarpool.govt.nz.

Let’s Carpool offers a free, secure service to help individuals find a carpool match for their regular commute, one-off trips and inter-regional trips. The partnership between Auckland Transport and the Greater Wellington Regional Council has been established to create a single carpooling service that is trustworthy, reliable, easy to use, with high quality matches and excellent customer service.

Auckland Transport’s Community Transport Manager, Mathew Rednall, says the new website will capitalise on the success of the rideshare site and provide a fantastic gateway for other regions in New Zealand looking to join. The Waikato, Manawatu, Taranaki and Nelson regions have already signed up as partners.

“The goal is to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of carpooling as a viable form of transport. As more people choose carpooling as their preferred transport option, we expect to see easier matches, increased usage and a subsequent decrease in both congestion and single-occupancy trips.”

The new site includes features such as email alerts which will allow users to sign up for automatic updates on new carpool matches. A mobile version of the site has also been developed for smart phone and tablet users.

Additionally, users will be able to link their ‘Let’s Carpool’ profile to their Facebook or Twitter account. The home page of the new website features a savings calculator so motorists can see the savings they are making by choosing carpooling. This is based on fuel price, journey distance and the number of passengers in the car.

The existing Rideshare Auckland and Let’s Carpool Wellington websites will be decommissioned and will now redirect to the new Let’s Carpool website. Anyone registered on the rideshare site will have their details automatically transferred and will be notified by email.

About Auckland Transport
Auckland Transport is a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) of Auckland Council. It is responsible for all of the region’s transport services (excluding state highways) - from roads and footpaths, to cycling, parking and public transport.

Among its main tasks are:
• To design, build and maintain Auckland’s roads, ferry wharves, cycleways and walkways.
• Co-ordinate road safety and community transport initiatives such as school travel
• Plan and fund bus, train and ferry services across Auckland.

For more information about Auckland Transport go to www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz

ENDS

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