Lift Sharing in Ireland

bbernie

Hi guys,

I'm doing an short entrepreneurial thinking course at the moment, and I came up with an idea for a ride-sharing app. I see so many single-person cars commuting in and out of Dublin every day.
I can see there are a few apps out there- carsharing.ie, getthere.ie.
Does anyone use these, and how do you find them? And if you dont, why not? What could make people share their cars more? It seems to work in other countries, why not here.

B

Yggr of Asgard

First of all, define ride-sharing because while it's traditionally someone joining another person for an agreed route these days ride-share is more a passenger calls a private driver and that driver goes where the passenger wants.

The sites you list are the old type (i.e. someone wants to join a pre-defined journey) while these days when saying ride-share it's mostly the kinds of Wundercar.org (which claims to be active in Dublin) or Lyft or Uber Pop.

While traditional ride share might not be a problem in Ireland, new area ride-sharing a lat lyft/wundercar might run into problems with transport for Ireland as you need a license to transport people.

So what ride share are you after?

_Kaiser_

Insurance would likely be an issue I'd think, potentially safety as well

Plus with the way Dublin is laid out I'd say it's fairly rare that you'd get 2 people taking exactly the same end to end trip. With traffic being what it is, no driver is going to go miles out of their way to accommodate some randomer

There's also the point that people doing commutes in cars use the time to unwind a bit - I used to enjoy my evening spin out the M3.. stereo up, cruise control on, and just relax after a long day... can't say the idea of having someone I dont know in the car beside me would have appealed much!

bbernie

dublin-texas- I'm am thinking more of the first traditional ride-share, where people offer lifts to each other and where alternate lifts rather than money is exchanged, where possible.
I am also thinking for longer distance journeys too. There are people who commute from the midlands every day to just outside Dublin.

Kaiser-I am hearing this a lot from people, that they like having time on their own in the car.

Agreed that insurance might be an issue for the newer ride-share but there shouldn't be an issue for the traditional type.

I'd just like to see the number of cars reduced and then overall journey times would reduce, etc.

I travel from Leixlip to Limerick once a week and it costs me €40, even for myself i'd like to find someone who might share the journey or take alternate turns with me.

KevR

HOV lanes might encourage car pooling.

In my opinion, there are a couple of the 24 hour bus lanes in Galway which would be ideal candidates for conversion to HOV lanes. The idea being that any 'motor vehicle' with 3 or more occupants could use the lanes to skip some of the traffic.

3 or 4 buses an hour and a few taxis is not enough utilization for bus lanes that cost millions.

The 3 occupants or more rule could also apply to taxis and buses, basically every vehicle must have 3 or more occupants.

Have a very signifcant fine for anyone caught breaking the rules - perhaps a €1,000 fine... It wouldn't need to be policed constantly, only during peak travel hours. It wouldn't be worth your while risking it outside of peak hours because there is very little time savings to be had.

Anyone think something like this could be beneficial in place of under utilized existing bus lanes?

bbernie

I've heard they do something similar to this in the US, makes sense that's if there are bus lanes which are under-utilised. Not so sure that's the case in Dublin, but it would be a good idea if it could be done.

Maybe this is only something that will work if the incentives are really big like being able to use a fast lane.

Or the other is that petrol gets so expensive we're forced to share.

Anyone out there feel really passionate about this but just can't find people to share with?

KevR

I think HOV lanes (as an alternative to bus lanes) would work very well in some locations. A lot of the bus lanes in Central Dublin definitely wouldn't be suitable - they are utilized highly by buses. Some bus lanes in Galway, maybe outer Dublin and other towns/cities could be candidates.

There should definitely be a trial in a couple of locations. Based on the article below, it looks like there will be have to be an almighty battle just to get a trial. :mad:

http://connachttribune.ie/carpooling-idea-for-seamus-quirke-road-bus-lanes-shot-down-559/

Connacht Tribune wrote:

Carpooling idea for Seamus Quirke Road bus lanes shot down


A proposal for a carpooling system to be introduced on the Seamus Quirke Road bus lanes has been shot down before it even comes before Galway City Council.


Newly-elected Fine Gael councillor Pearce Flannery told a meeting of the local authority last week he intends to put forward a motion which would see cars with three or more occupants allowed to use the bus lanes during peak morning and evening traffic.


However, legislation implemented by the National Transport Authority (NTA) precludes the bus lanes from being used for private vehicles.
Cllr Flannery explained he has a background as a senior adviser with the motor industry in Ireland, and that carpooling works in other countries around Europe and the United States.


“It’s how I made my living, I’ve done a lot of work in this area. There are sporadic buses on the road, and the reality is that public transport does not suit everybody.


“My proposal is that any car with three or more occupants would be allowed use bus lanes during peak hours in the morning and evening. That would see the number of cars on the road reduced and also speed up traffic flow on the other lanes.


“There should be a six month trial to test out the situation – this works in many other cities around the world.


“It certainly wouldn’t slow-up buses. If we could get the philosophy of carpooling on the agenda, I believe it could be a huge success,” said Cllr Flannery.


A spokesperson for the City Council said it would not be appropriate to comment on a motion that has not yet been submitted to the Council.
However, during the construction of the €16.8m bus corridor scheme on the Seamus Quirke Road, several councillors suggested carpooling and were told the NTA precluded any vehicles other than buses and taxis using bus lanes.