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Carpooling Without the EffortWASHINGTON, DC ~ 4 January 2007 ~ Everyone knows that carpooling is inconvenient and inflexible, and while it saves money and fuel it seems that people will put up with badly congested traffic rather than find a carpool partner. Now Trip Convergence has a new system that will take the inconvenience, inflexibility, and effort out of carpooling. |
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Carpooling Without the Effort
| HOVER Press Release WASHINGTON, DC ~ 4 January 2007 ~ Everyone knows that carpooling is inconvenient and inflexible, and while it saves money and fuel it seems that people will put up with badly congested traffic rather than find a carpool partner. Now Trip Convergence has a new system that will take the inconvenience, inflexibility, and effort out of carpooling. Locally, since the early 70's, there've been the 'sluglines', a flexible alternative that is reported to be used by about 10,000 people per day to some key destinations in the Region. The sluggers get a free ride and the driver gets to use the HOV lanes. There is no 'pre-arrangement' and the system works because enough people want to do it. For the people involved it is a perfect solution to a complex problem. Slugging works, according to Paul Minett of Trip Convergence Ltd, because rather than forcing people to change their travel plans to match others, as in a traditional carpool, the slugs are able to catch the next ride that comes along, forming what some experts call a 'single use carpool'. Mr. Minett, based in Auckland, New Zealand, has made it his business to understand how and why the sluglines and similar casual systems in San Francisco's Bay Area and also in Houston, Texas, work. He had independently developed a carpooling system with some similar features and is attempting to launch it on a global basis as a major new service to commuters. He will be in Washington later this month for the Transportation Research Board's annual conference, and to continue spreading the word about his HOVER system. On his last visit he made a presentation to the Commuter Connections Subcommittee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and has had ongoing discussions with some of the members of the Committee. "At peak times the buses are full, the trains are full, and the roads are full. The only remaining capacity in our transport systems at peak times is the empty seats in single occupant vehicles. The HOVER system provides access to those seats," says Mr. Minett. "HOVER, (an acronym for High Occupancy Vehicles in Express Routes), is quite different to the sluglines, though it works on a similar basic principle", he explains. "If you take your basic slugging system, and add features to enhance the feeling of safety for the people involved, plus a safe place to leave the rider's vehicle, and an internet based benefit sharing system, and then facilitation to make it all work, you get the HOVER system," he said. It is all explained on the company's website: www.hoverport.org. "Once it is all working properly, and people understand how to use it, it will be 'carpooling without the effort', a simple additional choice for commuters to use". And having additional choices when the price of fuel is rising along with concerns for the environment, has to be a good thing. END For further information please see the website: www.hoverport.org. For interviews with Paul Minett please contact him by email: paulminett@tripconvergence.co.nz. He arrives in DC on 17 January. |
