A READER has responded to our investigation (TWT October 11) on toll fee hikes with an idea to save local motorists hundreds of dollars.
The Weekly Times revealed the high costs of toll-related travel from Ryde to the CBD and the eastern suburbs, with increasesd toll fees from October 1 this year.
Tolls for a car travelling through the Cross City Tunnel have jumped from $5.59 to $7.16 while trucks are slugged $14.32, up from $11.18.
Local removalist Tan Nguyen said many of his jobs span Ryde to the eastern suburbs and require two trips, resulting in a $44 Cross City Tunnel toll bill for the day and more than $200 for a five-day week.
Reader and Ryde-to- Sydney CBD driver Peter Ruz told The Weekly Times his Carpool Club features a mobile phone carpooling app allowing drivers and passengers to connect in real-time to group together and avoid tolls.
Mr Ruz said the club is calling for 1,000 local drivers to sign-up and “revolutionise” daily commuting.
“Whether it’s paying the tolls, battling public transport queues, paying parking costs or struggling with traffic gridlock, the daily grind to and from work is expensive for many Sydney-based workers,” Mr Ruz said.
“The Carpool Club app uses real-time, geo-positioning technology to connect drivers and passengers who are travelling in the same direction.
“Through the app, passengers purchase and exchange tokens with the driver to help offset the cost of their trip.”
Mr Ruz says the Carpool Club initiative responds to his own frustrations commuting from Sydney to North Ryde and he hopes the app will create real change for other motorists who drive to and from Ryde to the CBD and the eastern suburbs for work, paying the new tolls.
“Research from Transport for NSW shows that over 70 per cent of private vehicles driven by workers in Sydney have just one person in them during peak times,” he said.
“Carpool Club will not only address this crazy inefficiency, it will make commutes faster and help the environment through reduced vehicle emissions.
“By picking up a passenger who is heading in the same direction, drivers can earn tokens which can be used to travel as a passenger themselves or be redeemed as cash to offset their travel costs when driving.”
Mr Ruz contrasts the hefty toll, parking and petrol fees with the Carpool Club trips which start at $2.20 for distances up to 7.5km.
“This could take a passenger from Leichhardt to the city while a trip from Castle Hill to Sydney CBD could cost as little as $6.60,” he said.
“With Ryde and Sydney’s expected expansion rates, traffic all over the city is only going to get worse and if all commuters carpooled even a few times a week it could make a real difference to the traffic congestion issues,” says Mr Ruz.
The Carpool Club driver app is now live and available for download from iTunes and Android app stores.
Ryde-based drivers can register now to start offering rides when the Sydney passenger app launches in the coming weeks.
The Weekly Times reported local motorists’ anger over increased toll charges from Ryde to the CBD and the eastern suburbs.
