Nairobi: 6 Benefits of Carpooling

NEWS Nairobi

Times have changed. Nairobi's streets are now teeming with cars. From the noisy matatus, honky and rowdy motorcycles to the super clean Toyota saloons and a few Porsche Cayennes here and there. The stream of these machines moving in and out of the city is the order of the day. Take the case of Ngong Road or Waiyaki Way. Not forgetting Thika Superhighway ( although, technically, it is not a "super-highway" at all). Every evening and morning there is usually slow traffic on these roads. Within urban planning circles it is well-known that road expansion does NOT reduce traffic congestion. In fact, it produces the reverse: road expansion programmes lead to the number of vehicles to increase.

What can be done to reduce this congestion? Obviously, one way is to encourage use of public transport. The other one that is gaining importance in other countries is carpooling. Carpooling allows you to share a ride with others who are going in the same direction as you. For example, as a car owner you can pick up Sheila, Mike, Mwas and Phoebe (fictitious names by the way) on your commute to the CBD in the morning. Or, you could hitch a ride/request for a lift from Omosh who is heading to Westlands. This is what carpooling is all about. For those who own vans (Toyota Noah's anyone?) you are not left out of this discussion; we could say you are vanpooling instead.

So what are the advantages of carpooling/vanpooling?

1.  It saves you some cash. You can split the costs of commuting to CDB with Sheila, Mike, Mwas and Phoebe which could defray the cost of paying for fuel for the journey. Add this up and by the end of the month you could make a tidy sum from the savings. You could even save enough to partly defray your cars servicing costs in the long term. Not only can you save some cash by splitting the cost with someone you have given a lift but also by choosing to leave your car behind for the day and getting a lift from someone else you could save the money you could have used to fuel your car that day.
2.  Helps you to go "Green". As you are aware, we are in the midst of the effects of Climate Change. Droughts, floods, El Nino and erratic weather patterns are with us now. Why not contribute your part in reducing your Carbon footprint by carpooling with someone? You can leave your car at home and request for a lift from someone heading in the same direction as you thus reducing your carbon footprint if you drove yourself to work :). By carpooling you can keep Kenya's position as the country with the cleanest air in the world intact.
3. Eases traffic congestion. Six words: "fill your car not the road". By carpooling the number of cars on the road reduce.
4. Shorter commute times. With carpooling you have the benefit of shorter commute times e.g. to your workplace or to town. No need of waiting at the stage for a matatu to come pick you up or waiting for a matatu to fill before it leaves. Moreover, since you are using private means, you enjoy the liberty of taking routes away from the congested major roads so as to reach your destination early enough. Simply, request for a ride from someone, go to the pick-up point he/she has set to pick you up and that is it. In fact, this can be beneficial for people who work in the same organization. You can carpool with your fellow employees hence cutting out the strenuous matatu journeys to and from your workplace.
5. Shorter commute times for inter-city journeys. Carpooling isn't just limited to short trips e.g. from Kikuyu Town to Nairobi CBD or from Parklands to Industrial Area. You can carpool with others going for longer, inter-town trips like from Nairobi to Naivasha. Instead of heading over to the bus companies' offices to book a bus and wait for departure you could simply request for a lift for someone going to the town you are also heading to. Furthermore, since you'll be using a private car you could travel much faster than the bus trip you could have booked. Carpooling for longer inter-city trips has been a resounding success in the West. Why not here?
6. You could meet new people while carpooling. You could meet your next employer or client while carpooling with them.

So get on-board. Let's carpool to our workplaces and other destinations. Join Rideweaver and start sharing rides.

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