During rush hour in the Greater Montreal Area, it’s estimated there are 1.5 million solo drivers on the roads – many now frustrated with recent construction projects.
A new carpooling app called Netlift is hoping to take the edge off commuter frustration by offering free carpool services as well as compensation for drivers starting Monday until the end of November.
“If there are so many people travelling at the same time at the same place, why can't those people match together to solve it? What looks like an extremely simple solution is actually extremely complex,” said Marc-Antoine Ducas, CEO of Netlift, a Montreal-based company that was founded in 2012.
Netlift has spent the last few years working on the app, because, said Ducas, there’s a market for carpooling.
“We had to work on pricing points. We had to work on compensation. We had to stay between the boundaries of what the legislation gives us,” he said.
The compensation for drivers is sharing gas and parking fees, all calculated by the app.
“It is one of the most expensive out-of-pocket expenditures for people that commute every day,” said Ducas.
The app has partnered with Ubisoft to test the latest version, hoping to encourage at least 250 of its employees to sign up.
“It's a big stress off their shoulders and more sleeping time for the employees as well,” said Ubisoft’s Fabrice Giguere.
Through the app, Olivier Régimbald-Brière was able to catch a ride with his Ubisoft coworker Sophie Labelle. They had no idea they lived near each other.
“I'm interested in saving time by using the reserved lane for carpooling and also I want to share the fees for parking,” said Labelle.
Régimbald-Brière sees benefits too.
“Normally it takes me an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes. Now it takes me 45 minutes,” he said.
Both signed up as members and plugged in their daily route to work. The app found matches for the fastest way, which could also include a mix of carpooling and public transit.
“Sophie is not my only match. I could take the train up to Laval and somebody picks me up there,” said Régimbald-Brière. “There are a lot of possibilities with this app.”
