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It’s great to see the media recognising that rideshares are the transport of the future -(see The Irish Independent) - I do wish, however that the writer had covered more than just the Dublin City carpool website!  While that site is commendable in its ambitions, it has its limitations and it would be nice for people to know that there are several carpool websites - of which Tripmi.ie is the best, of course!  The fact that Tripmi.ie is all-Ireland and keeps your details private are two of the main differences between us and them…But hopefully the media will continue to acknowledge the importance of carpooling in the current economic climate but next time give people all the information!

Around now, what with Christmas looming, many people are thinking about going home for some relaxing or traumatic family fun - but if you happen to be relying on public transportation you could be in for a hellish time even before you get near Uncle Billy and his perennial story about the goat.  If you’re lucky, and you’re trying to get to somewhere that’s serviced by public transport, you can expect long queues, crushing crowds and endless delays, while if you’re anywhere off the beaten track - that is, outside the major cities - you’d better be very creative to get anywhere near home.  I’m sure everyone has heard the old adage about once upon a time in Ireland you were never more than 7 miles from a train station, but those days are long gone. And now, if you’re trying to get to Donegal, West Cork, Connemara or even Laois, I’d say you’re better off carpooling.

Rideshares are the 21st century version of hitch-hiking, but without the terror.  As someone who spent my teens hitch-hiking through Spain and France I don’t miss standing for hours on the side of the road because I was foolish enough to bring a boy along (or worse yet, hiding the boy and when a car stopped watching it screech away in a cloud of dust when the driver realised that there was more than a single girl looking for a lift).  Or the way you could wait for ages and it was only the moment you lit your last precious cigarette that a car stopped?  Or the countless pervs who thought sticking out your thumb was the equivalent to lifting up your skirt?  It was hairy out there.  But nowadays (and here’s some shameless self-promotion but with a grain of truth!) thanks to Tripmi.ie you can pre-arrange when your carpool is leaving and from where (no more getting booted off the motorway by cops), you can decide whether you want to talk or not (no more feigning interest for hours in the driver’s exhaustive lighter collection) and even whether you want to listen to music or your own headphones - all before you even put on your coat.  So if you’re driving home for the holidays, spare a thought for those who need a lift (and can share the petrol costs) and if you don’t have a car, jump in a carpool, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.  (So to speak…)

Tripmi.ie is a brand new site dedicated to getting Irish people carpooling. We’re in our beta release at the moment so we’re still ironing out the kinks and fixing some issues, but the core system is up and running so sign up and get carpooling!

Since we’re new we need to know what you think, so if you notice anything odd, or have any feedback at all we’d love to hear it. We’ve put a feedback tool in the bottom right of every page in the site so if you want to drop us a note feel free.

Our site will match you up with other carpoolers based on your starting point and schedule, but you’ll need to work out the details between yourselves, so we have a message system built in to the site – simply “Request a Seat” (if you are a passenger) or “Offer a Seat” if you are a driver to people in your matches. You can discuss the details before you confirm the arrangement, without having to share personal information until you are good and ready.

At the moment, because we are a young site, there might not be that many matches for your journeys, but this will change as the site grows! As more people join the site and start carpooling it will be easier to pick the best carpooling partners (we like to call them TripMates!) if everyone takes a bit of time to update their profile. Your Public Profile is shared throughout the site (without revealing your full name or email) so let people know what you’re into, and hopefully you’ll find a match with similar tastes! Last.fm users get a special treat – you can put in your Last.fm username and we’ll compare your tastes with other users!

There are so many benefits to carpooling: cutting your travel costs in half (or more), easing traffic congestion and reducing pollution; our motto is “save money, save time, save the planet!”

Finally, safety is our number one priority, so we do require that if you’re a driver that you’re fully taxed and insured, drive safely and treat your TripMates kindly. To passengers we say, if you’re ever uncomfortable, don’t get in the car. Otherwise, enjoy the ride!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy carpooling!

The Tripmi Team