Find a ride-share in British Columbia . . . here’s how!
I was one month into my daily commute from Saltspring Island to British Columbia Magazine’s offices in Victoria when I spotted the handwritten note. Posted on a bulletin board near the ferry terminal, it read:
“Wanted: ride to Victoria. Will share costs.”
Seeking relief from high ferry, gas, and parking costs—and from the eco-guilt of driving alone into the city—I tore off one of the tiny phone-number slips and made the call. And that’s how I started ride-sharing with Nicole.
A study published last week by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and Bell Canada reminded me that there are high-tech ways to find a ride-share, too. Here in British Columbia, the Jack Bell Foundation’s online ride-share database promotes both casual ride-shares (with commuters sharing rides in their own vehicles) and formal ride-shares (commuters riding in a Jack Bell Ride-Share van or car).
The WWF study suggests that if Canadians made better use of information and communications technology—for example, to arrange ride-shares; to work from home; or to participate in e-meetings—harmful emissions could be reduced by as much as 20 million tonnes nation-wide. That’s the equivalent of taking 3.2 million cars off the road!
Interested in saving money and reducing your carbon footprint? Register your route at the Jack Bell Ride-Share website.
To read the WWF/Bell Canada study, Innovating Toward a Low-Carbon Canada: Using Technology to Transform Tomorrow, click here.