Car pool and relax as you commute

Dubai - For some residents in Dubai, carpooling (the shared use of a car) has become a way of life in the city.

Several Dubai residents may have had great intentions of ditching their vehicle on car-free day on Sunday - with some even following through on their promise - but what about those who have been doing their bit to reduce traffic and emissions for the other 364 days of the year?
For some residents in Dubai, carpooling (the shared use of a car) has become a way of life in the city.
The benefit of doing so is impacting both their personal circumstance as well as the environment, as Shankar Venkat revealed.
"I have been carpooling for five years. Eight of us share the work commute about once a week when our work hours are in sync. It saves on costs but as an advocate for a greener economy I feel we are impacting the future generations."
According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the demand on private cars and low usage of Group Transport (7%) is causing traffic congestion in the city.
Although Venkat said they are only responsible for taking eight cars off the road once a week, it could make such a difference to congestion and car emissions if everyone followed suit.
"I only use my car when I absolutely need to. During weekends I tend to stay at home so as not to use the vehicle. More people should think consciously like this."
The present rate of private car ownership in Dubai is as high as 541 cars for each 1,000 people, with an average number of passengers in each car as low as 1.3 people.
One spokesperson at Carpool Arabia, a mobile application to carpool with like-minded people, said the car-free day initiative is a great incentive to encourage shared-riding.
"The UAE government is naturally pushing to reduce emissions and congestion on the road by promoting this eco-friendly initiative and it's a great move on their part."
But now it is up to the residents to do theirs.
Less stressful
For Rashid Shaikh, his daily commute from Rashidiya to Jebel Ali has been made less stressful thanks to his carpool efforts.
"My friend and I work together so instead of using two cars to get to work, we alternate the driving each week."
The duo spend about 10 hours commuting to work each week, so essentially, they are taking one car off the road which saves 10 hours of emissions polluting the air.
"I like the fact that I can rest and be the passenger every other week, too."
Speaking about the car-free day initiative, Shaikh said more people should carpool across the city, but where possible, public transport ridership should be the first option.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com