Anna drives every morning to her workplace in the
city. Traffic congestion is getting worse in the area, and parking is expensive
at the city that she works in, and so, she decides to look for another option.
Karl lives near Anna but works in a neighbouring town 15 km away and would like
to share the cost of his commute with a carpool companion. He travels back in
the early evening.
The nearest bus service is within walking distance
(1 km) of Anna’s home but takes a long time due to the many stops and the
traffic congestion en-route. Its nearest drop-off stop is 2 km away from her
workplace. She has heard of the new SocialCar app and decides to try it out.
The app offers the option of carpooling from her home to a train station in a
neighbouring town 15 km away, and then to catch a train which would take her
within 1 km of her workplace. Anna had never considered this option before (nor
would any carpool matching website) but now she sees it, it makes sense. There
is no congestion on the car journey heading away from the city, and there is
much cheaper parking at the station (which she shares with her carpool
companion Karl).
Throughout the carpool journey, SocialCar gives
real-time information on train delays and parking space availability at the
train station. Other passengers already on the train (who are SocialCar users)
provide info on how busy the train is, giving seat availability in their
carriage. The train journey is fast and avoids the congestion on the road. At
the end of the train journey, Anna can walk the final 1 km to work but
SocialCar also informs her of a connecting bus service as well as a bike-share
scheme at the station which she could use if she so chooses.
Before heading for home, SocialCar allows Anna to
directly communicate with Karl. Initially, their travel plans match but later
Karl postpones his carpool offer. SocialCar informs Anna of other options which
include carpoolers and different public transport services. However, thanks to
SocialCar’s real-time information on traffic congestion, she decides to delay
her departure until the peak congestion has eased off and then get the bus
service that takes her within walking distance of her home.
