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媒體報導企業方案
| 媒體報導Interest in carpooling revives - The Sunday Times，新加坡 (2008年1月20日)MOTORISTS and commuters are going retro, beating the soaring petrol prices and cab fares with carpooling. By sharing rides, they hearken back to a scheme last common in the 1970s, when cars entering the Central Business District were not charged a levy if they carried four people. At least five online carpooling websites have sprung up in the past few months. Through these websites, students and workers who travel long distances every day are forming their own carpool groups. Groups usually link up through word of mouth or at online forums. They decide on times, pick-up and drop-off points and the cost of sharing rides. Car owners who used to travel solo say it is one way to defray the increasing cost of maintaining a car. 'It's a smart way to earn some money and you don't have to go out of the way,' said undergraduate Joyce Liu, who formed a carpool with two National Institute of Education (NIE) classmates three months ago. Ms Liu, 19, collects $3 per trip from her classmates. She picks them up from the Tanah Merah and Toa Payoh MRT stations while on the way from her Bedok home to her Boon Lay campus. That money takes care of half her monthly petrol bill of $200 that she chalks up with her 1,300cc Honda Fit. For human resource executive Claudia Ng, 28, her savings come from cutting back on her taxi rides. She used to pay about $13 daily for her cab ride from Pasir Ris to her workplace in Suntec City. Now, she pays $6.50 a day for her carpool rides. Both car owners and passengers say it's a win-win situation. With each trip costing between $2 and $8, commuters say it's a steal for a ride that could go from one end of Singapore to another. Online carpooling sites have also seen numbers increase noticeably. New Zealand-based CarpoolK ing.com, which began life last May, now has more than 100 Singapore users forming about 20 per cent of its user base worldwide, said founder Brian Hsu. Mr Vincent Tan, webmaster of singaporecarsforum.com, which offers carpool listings, said his website's average number of page views has jumped from 2,500 to 3,000 in the past three months. 'It used to be one ad every four or five days but now, there are at least two new postings daily,' he noted. Since April last year, at least 23 Singapore users have also added Carpool, an application which allows users to offer or request for carpool rides, to their accounts on popular social networking website Facebook. While cost cutting is one big reason behind the carpool wave, some, like trainee teacher Jonathan Teo, 27, are in a carpool for the comfort. He pays $3 a day for a ride, which he shares with three others, from Serangoon to Boon Lay. 'I don't want to squeeze on the bus and train. In the carpool, I'm assured of a seat. It saves time too.' For Mr Francois Bretault, 39, a part-time French lecturer, filling the space in his Peugeot 206 just makes plain sense: 'It's a bit ridiculous to have only one person in the car, but in Singapore, you seldom see more than one person in a car.' He now offers free rides on Facebook to do his bit to save the environment. For some, it's a good way to make friends or have company on their longer rides. Undergraduate Shawn Ang, 22, who drives his classmate to school every morning for $1, says: 'It's boring sitting alone in a jam.' Mr Justin Chong, 29, a visual merchandiser, was even invited to his passenger's wedding in March last year after having driven her to work for five months. 'The first trip was awkward but we got to know each other better with each trip and soon, we became friends,' said Mr Chong. While there are generally no carpooling rules, those interviewed say that little things make the journey more pleasant. The golden rule: Be on time. A few minutes wasted at each pick-up point can cause others to be late for school or work. For many, smoking during the journey is a strict no-no. Some male drivers specify that they want only female passengers. Undergraduate Vincent Low, 21, explained: 'When guys become friends, they end up not paying!' Some drivers, like computer engineer Thufara Dharmapala, 40, make it clear to their passengers that only English songs will be played during the journey. Then there are those who believe that one should not take safety for granted. When purchasing officer Linda Chan, 41, began carpooling to her workplace at Kaki Bukit, she passed the contact details of the driver to her colleague and asked her to call the police if she didn't show up on time. She even got her boyfriend to watch her from around the corner while she got in. But, for some, compromising on privacy and personal space is just not an option. Bank officer Daniel Ho, 42, who drives a Honda Civic, said: 'I drive for my convenience and flexibility. By carpooling, I'm obliged to answer to the other party.' |