Carpool.ca is a free carpool matching service that is now available in Fort McMurray to help both drivers and riders find carpool partners. Signing up is easy - simply visit www.carpool.ca and complete the on-line registration to receive a list of potential carpool partners. All information is kept strictly confidential and users make no commitment by signing up. 

“Carpooling is an idea whose time has come for our growing urban centre,” said Melissa Blake, Mayor, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. “We fully support this initiative that will make it easier for our citizens to link up with like-minded individuals who are interested being part of the solution for our transportation challenges and better stewards of the environment.” 

“This means that people looking to carpool can easily find matches and employers can easily promote carpooling as an alternative form of transportation to their employees,” says Diane Slater, Executive Director, Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce and Fort McMurray Construction Association. 

“This is an initiative that supports our vision of building a sustainable community and region,” said Dr. Kevin Nagel, President & CEO, Keyano College. “This online service finally provides a tool to facilitate carpooling as a viable transportation alternative for our staff and students in a community where getting to and from the College can be both expensive and time-consuming.” 

Carpooling has many environmental, community and personal benefits. It reduces the number of cars on the road, which in turn means fewer emissions polluting our air. Carpooling also eases traffic congestion and lessens the demand for new roads and parking lots. In addition, sharing the costs of fuel, insurance and vehicle maintenance can save drivers a significant amount of money. In fact, according to the Canadian Automobile Association the annual cost of owning a mid-size vehicle that travels 12,000 kilometres a year is $8,581.05, or $.71/km. These figures do not include parking fees.

As more and more people register, carpooling becomes an even more visible and viable transportation alternative for commuters.

“It’s important to note that carpooling doesn’t require a large commitment,” says Anne Marie Thornton, Manager of Carpool.ca. “Our desire to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions tends to be secondary to our need for convenience. Carpooling once or twice a week is a great start.” 

In Fort McMurray, the www.carpool.ca program is funded by the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Health Services, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Keyano College, Oil Sands Developers Group and the Fort McMurray Construction Association.

The program has been available in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge for several years. The site has been customized to serve the Fort McMurray region providing useful information about commuting costs, carpooling etiquette and various other resources to assist carpoolers. Carpool.ca is Canada’s fastest growing on-line carpool matching program with 10,000+ registrants nation-wide.