A new website that connects people looking to car pool has been launched by the National Transport Authority.
Free to use, carsharing.ie, is part of a 'smarter travel' initiative already being used by several organisations such as Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and NUI Galway, with over 1,000 people already sharing lifts to and from work.
The authority hopes the site will encourage commuters to seek lifts instead of driving alone, thereby taking a number of cars off the roads.
"It is a key part of our smarter travel policy - with petrol going up and more people becoming aware of our environmental challenges, we can use technology to get people together," Minister of State for Transport Alan Kelly said.
"Our pockets and environment will benefit - this will make it easier, cheaper and more sustainable to get people from A to B. it will be especially useful for games, concerts and other events."
Mr Kelly said the site was designed to aid those who do not have immediate access to such services or were not within walking or cycling distance of their destination.
The site includes an interactive map to help people plan their journeys and either get in contact with members of a privately formed group or the wider public group who might be travelling the same route.
Director of public transport at the authority, Anne Graham, described the website as an alternative option to single-usage cars and part of its overall travel planning initiatives.
"The service is open to everyone to use in workplaces, organisations, clubs and individually all over Ireland," she said.
While the 2006 census showed that only six per cent of commuters regularly car pooled on their way to work, a survey carried out last year by the authority found that 44 per cent of car drivers would consider it as a commuting option.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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