This New York Times article raises an exciting question. For now, the absolute normalcy of driving still seems pretty persistent, but how many of us have noticed a shift just in our own habits over the last 5 years? Do you drive less, try to carpool more, make the extra effort to walk, bike or take public transit if it is available?
I like the thought that we will rely dramatically less on cars not because of some painful upheaval, but as a result in a normal shift in priorities by our culture. As we value a simpler, less destination oriented lifestyle we will naturally relinquish our need to drive everywhere.
But what will come first? The climates need for us to stop driving, or our realization that we don't really need to drive?
Wake-up, Take 2: I get up and get ready for my 10 min rideshare. I head out and arrive at the meeting point just as my driver is pulling up. She smiles and waves me into her car; this is now my fifth ride with her. (I’m also proud to say it’s my 66th WeGo shared ride, which means I’m an official WeGo Warrior!) I’m trying to help my driver also become a WeGo Warrior. She and I work in similar fields, in offices next to each other downtown, so it’s nice to have someone to chat with on the ride to work. It beats the long bus with strangers plugged into their music, feeling alone.
I get to work at bit early; all the time I would have spent on the bus, I now have to myself this morning. I meander over to the corner deli and grab some breakfast. Food in hand, I walk over to our downtown plaza, and eat in the beautiful park while going through my to-do list for the day. I finish breakfast and head over to the office, feeling so excited having had all that productive extra time to mentally get ready and enjoy breakfast before work.
A couple of days later, I stay super-late at work and miss the bus. The next one isn't coming for a while. On a whim, I pull up Avego, WeGo Rideshare’s app, and look-up a ride home. Lo and behold! My morning rideshare driver has a trip home scheduled under the "Trips" section of the app. I quickly send her a message through the app, and she replies that she's leaving in 10 minutes. My next thoughts are: "Success! I’ve got a quick and easy ride home! Good, because I'm tired!”
Outside waiting for my ride I smile thinking, “I like being part of the WeGo community — ridesharing is really having a positive impact on my life and the environment. I have to share this with more friends!"
-Laci M.
*Because of recession-based budget cuts, the bus schedule has been drastically reduced and now there are limited times when I can take the bus.
Official Definition—WeGo Warrior: Anyone who shared 50+ rides in the WeGo community using the Avego software.
unofficial definition—WeGo Warrior: an earth saving, community engaging, tech savvy person who understands that sharing the resources we have makes for a happier, healthier and more vibrant world.
WeGoers have been clamoring for an advanced booking feature just like this. Now, you can start ridesharing with more confidence knowing that you've already booked your ride home later in the day or week. The app will even remind you about your upcoming booked rides beforehand! So go ahead, book a ride today and tell us what you think.
Check out these how-to's from the Avego team:
AND, check out this bonus update! Now all walk-up rides are classified as "Pick up with PIN." This means no more elusive "guest" rides, even when offering a free ride. Good stuff going on here.
The World Dictionary online says it means: “to travel some distance regularly between one’s home and one’s place of work.”
Commuter transportation wonks use this definition 99% of the time to refer to the traveling that most of us do to get to and from work. But after years of working in the transportation field across the country, I’ve learned that not everyone thinks of their “commute” this way.
It seems the word “commute” is still commonly thought to refer to trips to/from work that are “long” distances, or involve using the freeway, or require traveling from one city to another...or something else?? Employees at their worksites across the U.S. have told me: “I don’t carpool [or take transit or bike] to work because I don’t commute.” Hmmmm. Are they camping out at the office every night? That can’t be...
Thanks to the growing acceptance of teleworking and the development of mixed-use communities, some employees really don’t commute. But according to the definition above, most Americans still do at least a few days a week — whether 2 miles or 20+. And most do so by driving alone in their cars.
Imagine if just half of all “drive alone commuters” shared the ride with each other instead — even just a few days a week. How much money could be saved? How many friendships could be created? How much less congested would our roads be? How much of a positive impact could we make on our air quality, on the global climate change problem? The short answer is: A LOT.
And it gets better. In the WeGo community we think of a commute trip as any trip that takes another car off the road. Why? Because we want people to buddy-up using WeGo whenever it makes sense and whenever it means another car won’t be operated — so that we have more money, faster travel times, cleaner air, and an inhabitable planet in the future.
So whether you’re sharing a commute trip, a ride to a sporting event, college, or anywhere in between or beyond, when you use WeGo you’re eligible for WeGo’s rewards and incentives.* We think you’ve earned it!
Check out the first installment of this new section on Avego's Blog: Your Questions Answered
We’ve had several enquiries recently from electric car owners about using our app and whether they will be recoup their expenses at a different rate. - See more at: http://www.avego.com/2013/06/13/your-questions-answered/#sthash.ki2J38iv.dpuf
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.
