Cape Town - A new ride-sharing application has been punted as an answer to traffic-jam problems people face when travelling to and from work.
The app CarTrip, launched last December by Chris Faure, is now available on both Android and iOS in South Africa.
Faure said he saw the concept while travelling through Europe.
“I realised that there was a desperate need for more transportation options back home in South Africa and thus CarTrip was born.
“We want to establish a national network whereby there are enough people sharing their cars to all parts of South Africa that it enables most people to get to their destination, no matter how far or remote.”
He said you can offer a ride in your car and get reimbursed for your costs, meet new people and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by sharing. If you need a ride, search for someone going your way and book a ride on the app.
“The process is very simple. They create a profile, post their ride if they are driving somewhere, set their preferences (eg no smoking, chatting etc in the car) and people willing to travel to the same location will book seats in their car. Passengers book their seats online by just entering their departure and arrival points, and the travel date, then choose a car owner offering a ride going the same way. CarTrip charges the passenger a minimal fee for providing this platform.”
He said if people shared their cars with other people who have cars, there would be fewer cars travelling on the road. Instead of three cars with one person in each car going to the same place, there could be one car with three people in it.
“One of CarTrip’s major goals is to create a safe community built on trust.
“We encourage members to rate other members and provide feedback. The more information that members share about themselves in the ‘bio section’ of their profile, the more it will make it easier for other members to make a decision about sharing a trip with that member. “This will create an environment where people feel comfortable to travel together. Members can also use our secure messaging system to get to know each other before the trip and arrange a suitable meeting place.”
He added that it was legal to carpool and get reimbursed for the costs.