The Best Way to Commute: 20+ km

By Madison De Silva

January, 2023

Imagine this; it is a warm day, windows down, music on, and everyone in the car is singing along to a favourite song. This can be your commute to work if you choose to carpool or share a ride. Carpooling is when instead of multiple individuals taking multiple cars to arrive at the same destination, everyone agrees to meet up and take one singular car. Now you may be wondering “why would I do that”?

Well, there are many benefits to carpooling:

• It saves you money. The average person spends $8,466 yearly on their commute
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
• Reduces your carbon footprint
• Reduces vehicle miles travelled
• Strengthens relationships

If you feel carpooling isn’t the right fit for you, you may choose to try out a different eco and cost-friendly alternative such as using public transportation or biking. There's no need to worry when planning your carpool trip. Over the following months, we will be posting guides on how to carpool safely, how to plan your trip, helpful apps such as the SmartCommute.ca app and we will hear from avid carpoolers in your area. The SmartCommute.ca app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Challenge:

Call up a colleague you're close with and ask to carpool together once a week. Slowly increase the days a week you carpool until you are doing it every time you go to work. By doing this you have already cut the amount you pay for gas in half!