Tripmi FAQ

 

I'm a driver, how do I find passengers?

Go to Add a New Trip, enter your trip details with your route and times, and we'll do the rest! Once you've created a trip, other users will be able to see it in the search results and contact you about a seat.

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I'm a passenger, how do I find a lift?

You can do a quick search by clicking on Find a Carpool to see if any drivers are going your way - if they are, simply click on Seat Enquiry and then you can work out the details between you. If you don't get any results, leave it with us, your details will be saved and we'll alert you when we've found a match.

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I have a car but don't always want to drive, what should I do?

Drivers can also carpool with each other - it's called carsharing: just click on Find a Carpool to see if other drivers are going your way, then enquire about a seat. Once we find your TripMates, you can work out arrangements like alternating who drives. There will be plenty of other drivers like you who don't want to drive every day. You could even alternate a week on, a week off. If you've three other TripMates with cars then you only need to drive one week in four and be chauffeured the rest of the time. In that situation you can read, eat, sleep, listen to your MP3 player or iPod etc. and let someone take over the stress of driving.

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I don't have any matches, what's wrong?

First, make sure your filters aren't too strict, then try 15 minutes before or after, or a slightly larger geographical spread. If you still aren't getting matches, don't worry - Tripmi.ie is just starting out it'll take a little time to build up the database. Make sure to save your trip so that others searching will find it and contact you. And remember - the more Tripmi users we have, the greater the chance of finding an exact match. So make sure you tell your friends and family about this website, and get them to register their trips as soon as possible. Spread the word!

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How do I make contact my TripMates?

When you're matched with a TripMate, you can make contact using the message centre on the website. We then recommend that you meet in a public place to discuss your travel arrangements, and that you don't exchange home addresses for security reasons.

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Are my details kept private?

Absolutely. Our site is 100% secure. Your name and e-mail address are private and only your username is visible to your TripMates and other users. All communication can be made through the site until you've gotten to know your new TripMates.

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How much does the Tripmi service cost?

To join and use Tripmi is free. To form a group, public or private, works out at an average cost of one euro per person for the group creator/administrator only - for everyone else in the group it's free. (See information on groups costs below).

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What about the travel costs/petrol costs?

We recommend that the driver and their TripMates share the overall cost of the travel. We suggest you do a calculation taking your motor tax, insurance and petrol into consideration. Toll charges and parking fees may also come into the equation. From that you can work out a cost per mile or kilometre and divide it between the number of people travelling in the car.

If you car share, then no money need change hands as it can be a reciprocal arrangement.

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What affect does carpooling have on my car insurance?

The Irish Insurance Federation advises that, as long as you are not making a profit from the arrangement, carpooling should have no implications for your car insurance. We do, however, advise you to check with your insurance company or broker as terms and conditions may vary between insurance providers over time.

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What if I want to change carpools?

If your carpool doesn't work out, tell your TripMates that you want to change and find a new one.

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How do I report abuse?

Please contact us if anything unpleasant happens, we will help in any way we can. While we are not responsible for people's actions outside the site, we do keep records of all communications made through the site. You can contact by clicking our Feedback button in the bottom right-hand corner of your window.

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How do I know if someone is trustworthy?

Check out our our guidelines for happy carpooling; meanwhile, we can sum it up in three sentences: trust your instincts, speak your mind and do the deal up front. Not bad advice for life, really!?

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Can I carpool just one way?

You can do whatever you want - return trips, one-way, long-haul, whatever! You just offer it to the community and see who's going your way. Who knows, maybe you'll even take a lift somewhere you wouldn't have thought of...?

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What is a group and what's the difference between a public and private group?

A group is when more than one carpool are all attending the same event/workplace/match/wedding/recycling trip, etc.

A public group is a group that you're happy for everybody to see and join - for example, music festivals or event organisers would create public groups.

A private group can be joined by invitation only via email; for example, a company, school or sports group might prefer to keep their group private.

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What do I get when I create a group?

Each group gets their own named page within the Tripmi website, and can upload their own branding or photos. If it's a private group, you also have the peace of mind that you control all access.

If you have a blog, website or company intranet, you can also include your Tripmi group widget to display your group's activity.

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What is a group widget and how can I include it on my website/company intranet or blog?

A widget is automatically created for each group (public or private), and displays all the activity on the group, including the number of members, the number of carpools in the group and the seats available.

To add this widget to your blog, website or intranet do the following:

From anywhere within the Tripmi website click on Groups. Go to Your Groups (your private groups) or Public Groups. Go to the relevant group and click on Click to Expand. Under Options click on View Group. Under Group Activity click on Get widget: Landscape/Portrait. Simply copy and paste the code displayed into your HTML page, or send the code to whoever is responsible for your website and they'll do it for you. This will embed your Tripmi group widget, which is updated automatically with your group activity.

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What does a group cost?

Group fees are an annual charge to the group creator only: users of the group continue to use the site for free. The total costs break down to less than a euro per person per year, so it should be affordable for most people. We also offer free groups for certain charity events so do contact us if you have a need.

Group costs break down as follows (prices inclusive of VAT):
Less than 50 people:€25 a year
51 - 200 people:€120 a year
201 - 500 people:€180 a year
More than 500 people:€600 a year

You can change the size of the group throughout the year, and cancel your group at any time. In the event of cancellation, however, we can't refund your fee. We keep our costs as low as possible in an effort to get the whole world carpooling..!

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