Ann Arbor, MI (1888PressRelease)
April 29, 2009 - CarBuddy.com (CarBuddy) today launched in the Detroit market to provide a way for commuters to find others in the southeast Michigan community who want to share rides on the way to work. As the first private venture to set up a unique and creative carpooling approach, CarBuddy.com is a network solution that utilizes advanced Web-based technology to connect drivers and passengers with each other.
"CarBuddy.com is a user-friendly, customer service-oriented approach to ride-sharing that offers many benefits to members," said Albert Rodriguez, president and founder of CarBuddy.com. "It offers commuters the ability to save money and time, and to enjoy a less stressful commute to and from work. It also helps the environment by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution," he added.
To find a "car buddy," all commuters have to do is visit CarBuddy.com and register their names, locations and individual preferences. The site will automatically find people along a given route of travel, with similar destinations and preferences, and match them to each other. It also will calculate a fair commuting cost by factoring in fuel expenses, and the wear-and-tear for a given make and model of vehicle.
Commuters can choose to be drivers, passengers or both. Only when matches are made and ride-sharing begins, are riders charged and drivers reimbursed for the service.
More and more people are becoming interested in sharing vehicles and expenses today as fuel costs climb, and traffic congestion and air pollution increase in major metropolitan areas. The company's mission is to establish the web site as a user-friendly service where commuters can join a ride-sharing network as an alternative means of riding to work.
In addition to finding matches among daily commuters, CarBuddy.com's service has removed many of the disincentives to carpooling. If carpoolers are unavoidably detained at work, or an emergency occurs, they can simply call CarBuddy.com and a taxi will be dispatched to pick them up.
Hassles with weekly ride-sharing payments are avoided, since CarBuddy.com automatically calculates the right amount to pay the driver, and transfers the money to his/her account after the week has ended.
For safety and peace of mind, the site automatically validates the driver operator's licenses and proof of insurance. It also allows passengers and drivers to rate their commuting experience, and if there is a mismatch, a replacement or cancellation can be obtained without question.
Environmental and Savings Boon
Over 3.5 million people drive to work alone in Michigan. This 83 percent of drivers increases traffic congestion that in turn, accounts for as much as 50 percent of urban air pollution and 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Ride sharing, which can decrease the number of cars on the road, will reduce traffic congestion and the resulting air pollution this causes.
By promoting carpooling and increasing the percentage from the current 8.9 percent to 14.5 percent, the daily number of vehicles on the road would be reduced by 123,226, along with the side benefit of removing close to half a million tons of CO2 emissions yearly.
For every additional 0.5 percent (22,000) increase in carpooling, we would see approximately 11,000 fewer cars on the road daily, a reduction in CO2 by 44,000 tons per year and a $30,500,000 yearly savings for these commuters - in addition to reducing congestion and spending less on road repairs. In Michigan, if overall ride sharing increased by only 5.6 percent, the savings for that group of commuters would be $342,428,000 per year.
About CarBuddy.com
Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., CarBuddy.com is a new and unique private enterprise solution to carpooling that utilizes advanced Web-based technology to connect drivers and passengers with each other throughout a given geographical region. The site is being launched first in southeast Michigan, with plans to launch in other major regional markets throughout the U.S. later this year.
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