Carpool Ridematching Service (FahrgemeinschaftsService)

... is a firm-external, ridematching service for public and prite workplaces offered by the Institute for Transport Ecology (Büro für Verkehrsökologie (BVÖ), in Bremen in collaboration with StadtAuto Bremen Car Sharing GmbH.

Target group :

Private companies and public employers located - for the introductory phase - in selected neighbouring locations. Ultimately our goal is to serve the entire city.

Why an offer of this kind ?

Businesses and authorities should be assisted in their attempts to optimise their traffic structures,oth economically and ecologically. Optimisation also includes a better utilisation of the car capacity for commuters to and from work. Not all commuters travelling alone in their cars like, or inevitably have to do this. The Ridematching Service (FahrgemeinschaftsService) brings people together who could well share a part of the journey, regardless of whether they work in the same company or live in the same place. As a result access and traffic flow at the work sites can be improved and the need for parking space can be reced. Both the employers and the individual employees benefit from a service of this kind. There is no other comparable commuter ridematching service in existence yet.

A Description of the Commuter Ridematching Service :

For a basic monthly fee (the price spectrum has 14 categories ranging from DM 35 to DM 1,200 /month depending on the size of the business; see price list below) we offer the business company the following services:

1.) 1. A presentation of our services in your organisation, includg the supply of professional advertising material for all the employees (brochures, posters, registration forms, coupon booklets, etc.) as well as material for the continued advertising program for these services.

2.) Ridematching suitable commuter partners for employees who are interested in carpooling and work in business companies and for the authorities within the entire Bremen area (between Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven, Buxtehude, Hanover and Osnabrück). The wishes of a business comany's employees to off and seek a commuter ridematching service are handled by the FahrgemeinschaftsService using tailor-made software. At the same time, the respective working hours (also shift hours), special wishes (e.g. only twice a week), maximum detour allowance and individual wishes (non-smoker/smoker, woman wanting only to travel with another woman, possibly hobbies) are taken into account. If required, the software can also be installed for Online use with the customer. The system fulfils the data privacy protection requirements.

Global sum for the Ridematching Service:

Description: “Guaranteed Mobility“

As a "Special Offer" the Ridematching Service provides the business company with the following service at an additional flat rate of 5 DM per month per carpool member of a new carpool or one that already exists:

Employees who commute to and fromork with the carpool system should not be at a disadvantage if the carpool service should not function for some unforeseen reason. In certain cases, the employees can hire a taxi up to a maximum of DM 50 without having to pay cash, for their journey home, to work, or to a convenient train station, etc. Guaranteed mobility is valid if, for company reasons, overtime is necessary, the work has to be terminated earlier due to an acute illness or due to the illness of a family member, or the commuting partner fails to go on this urney as intended.

The authorised senior person at the place of employment countersigns a taxi coupon and the costs for the taxi will be carried and paid for by the Ridematching Service.

The guarantee cases actually availed of (including the administrative expenses) are financed from the flat rate contributions. At regular intervals the flat rate payment is aligned with the actual implementation by the authorised employers.

This model, which is well-known in the USA, has had a successful trial pse in Bremen. 1) The misuse of this offer can be largely prevented by the necessity for a counter signature by the senior company employee. The flat rate agreed upon with the service supplier protects the firms from any unexpected risks.

The advantage of the integrated firm-external address pool

The advantage of this system is obvious. Even if there are only a small number of employees working in a firm or with an authority, that are interested in joining a carpool, there are still chanc of finding a matching commuter outside the company within the address pool.

As a result no laborious preliminary investigations and assessment of potential users within the firm are necessary. The business company decides whether this service is to be made available to his employees, and the Ridematching Service

(FahrgemenschaftsService)

1) within the scope of the move project