Kiwi Carpool Week just around the corner

More people in each car, fewer cars on the road! That’s the message from Greater Wellington Regional Council for Kiwi Carpool Week, which begins on 9 June.

Carpooling is an easy way to cut down on daily transport costs, plus the more people you carpool with, the more money you save. You can find people living and working near you who are looking to join a carpool, by visiting Let’s Carpool (www.letscarpool.govt.nz), or talk to your friends and colleagues about setting up your own.

You don’t even need to carpool all the way to work. Consider carpooling to a central place, and taking public transport from there. Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently trialling a limited number of special car parks reserved for people who carpool to Petone and Waikanae train stations.

Greater Wellington Regional Council’s sustainable transport manager Melanie Thornton says that carpooling has many benefits and is not only about the money you can save.

“Carpooling not only reduces your day to day transport costs, but it makes your journey more enjoyable and interesting. Having fewer cars on the road at peak hour also helps keep the whole region moving.”

“I encourage all Wellington drivers to sign up on the Let’s Carpool site to find the carpool matches near you. There are over 3000 people already registered in the Wellington region, so there should be a suitable match for most people – and the more people who sign up, the better your chances.”

“If you sign up to the Let’s Carpool website during Kiwi Carpool Week and share your experiences, you could win some great prizes too.”

Z Energy’s Sustainability Manager Gerri Ward said that Z Energy will be supporting the campaign by giving out free hot drinks to carpoolers in Wellington at the Mana and Petone Z Energy stations during Kiwi carpool week.

“The first 50 carpoolers at these stations, before 8:30am, will receive a free hot drink of their choice. It is our way of thanking carpoolers for their contribution to reduced congestion and improved sustainability.”

Since Let’s Carpool was introduced in 2009 a total of 9,656 people have registered on the Let’s Carpool website from across New Zealand. Kiwi Carpool Week is a national initiative, with other regions also supporting the campaign.

ENDS

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