We’re excited to share that the Barrhaven BIA has teamed up with the City of Ottawa to assist our residents with Ottawa Ride Match, a service for commuters to find and pair up with one another for stress-free, cost-effective carpooling to and from work.
There are currently over 5300 Ottawa residents and Gatineau registered, and Ottawa Ride Match is completely free! If you’ve ever wondered the benefits of ridesharing, or are curious to know if it’s for you, here are three reasons why you should carpool to work.
Save Your Wallet
One of the most appealing parts of carpooling is the amount of money you can save.
Let’s look at a typical routine: drive to work, pay for parking, buy gas, repeat. Forget the 40 to 80 cents per kilometre you spend while driving, if you’re commuting all year that’s a whole lot of wear and tear on your vehicle. On top of that, more often than not we’re forced to pay for a spot to park.
With ridesharing, you save money gas, parking and can even give your car a break if you take turns driving, especially in Ottawa winters.
Save the World
Jim Watson may not give you a key to the city for ridesharing to work, but by altering the way you do a small day-to-day task you lower your environmental impact drastically. According to The Rideshare Company, “the average vehicle releases ten thousand pounds of carbon dioxide every year. An overabundance of CO2 in the atmosphere is the leading cause of global warming. We have already experienced the effects of global warming—severe heat waves, hurricanes, droughts, etc.—and it’s only going to get worse.”
At least once the world is destroyed we won’t have to worry about gas prices, right?
Save Time
Imagine: for every two people that carpool together, that’s half the number of vehicles on the road. This not only means less congestion to and from work, but it also lowers the risk of accidents. Therefore, the more you carpool, the more time our city saves as a whole.
And if there happens to be a traffic jam, there’s no stress! Commuting with others gives you the opportunity to have the freedom of a passenger. Take this time to get work done, read a book or connect with people online.
Carpooling isn’t for everyone, but if everyone did it, we would be a whole lot better off! To learn more benefits, carpooling tips and tricks or to sign up for this service, please visit Ottawa Ride Match here.
