Six New South Wales councils are supporting a new regional carpooling initiative aimed at reducing the travel costs and environmental impacts of commuters.
Local health and education providers are also involved in the initiative.
Northern Rivers Carpool is a free online service for anyone who wants to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.
The carpool route runs along the east coast of Australia from Coffs Harbour to Brisbane, and includes Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Lismore, Richmond and Tweed Councils.
Residents wanting to be part of the carpool simply sign up on the Northern Rivers Carpool website and outline their regular journey or route.
They can then search for other members and organise to meet their fellow carpoolers at either a designated carpool meeting location or enroute.
Carpoolers are rewarded with designated priority carpool spaces in over 20 carparks across the Northern Rivers region.
Tweed Shire Council’s Sustainability Officer Dan Walton believes the system will not only save money for commuters, but will benefit the community as a whole, reducing traffic congestion and pollution.
“Look out the window when stopped in traffic and you’ll notice that most cars only have one person in them,” he said.
“Northern Rivers Carpool gives commuters the option of sharing their journey with someone else. This is good for their wallet and good for the environment.
“Many members have made carpooling connections they wouldn’t normally have made just through word of mouth.”
Dan Walton highlighted the importance of initiatives like these in regional areas.
“Creating a regional carpool is important because of the distances people travel to work and study,” he said.
The carpool has been trialled for the last eight months and the website currently has over 400 registered members.
For more information visit the Northern Rivers Carpool website at www.nrcarpool.org
