If you live on the east end of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula (Stanmore Bay East, Arkles Bay, Manly, Tindalls Bay, Army Bay, Gulf Harbour, etc) and travel each day to Albany or beyond then you qualify to test drive this exciting new service and taste the transportation system of the future. 

To take part and travel free for a week, apply here.  Application processing is free in April, May, and June.

For the first week of operations (date TBA, the launch has been postponed from the original May 2 target) the first fifty approved members will receive:

• $10 towards travel costs for each Raspberry Express rideshare trip taken where they are the driver**;
• Free rides where they are the rider;
• Free coffee from The Coffee Guy mobile kiosk, at the Raspberry Express meeting-place each morning.

All approved members using Raspberry Express will receive:

• Great savings on their travel costs;
• Priority parking at the Albany Bus Station***;
• Certificate of greenhouse gas emissions avoided;
• Prize-draw entry for each trip taken in a Raspberry Express rideshare, for a great list of prizes;
• Additional benefits at participating local merchants.

Click here for detailed information about how Raspberry Express works.  Click here to apply to join in.

Conditions for travel free:

• Approved membership
• Commencing on the first day of operations, drive (or walk or cycle****) each day to the meeting place at Link Crescent, Arkles Bay (next to Hoyts Cinema) to arrive between 6:15 am and 7:15 am.
• On a pattern***** to be advised by Raspberry Express, be a driver or a rider each day and rideshare from Link Crescent to the Albany Bus Station.
• As a driver, you always take at least two riders (you must wait for a second rider when only one rider is present).
• As a rider, you always send an SMS text message of the driver’s username to the Raspberry Express system as you get into the driver’s car.
• Each evening you must arrive back at the Albany Bus Station between 5 pm and 6 pm.  Riders must line up at the pick-up point, (marked by the Raspberry flag), and drivers collect riders, (waiting until 6 pm to leave if there are no riders).  These times may be adjusted to better suit the test drive participants based on feedback.  If expecting to arrive back after the latest time, members are advised to make other arrangements.
• Provide feedback to Raspberry Express about the experience, the effectiveness of the service, any difficulties using the service.
• Operate online Raspberry Express account as requested by Raspberry Express.
• Follow the rules of Raspberry Express.
• Rideshares will be formed in order of arrival at the meeting-place.  Members acknowledge that they will not know in advance with whom they will be driving or riding. 

Click here to apply to join in. 

* The travel free offer is limited to the first 50 approved members, and subject to the conditions outlined in this post.

** $10 towards their vehicle operating costs while participating in the test drive for each trip taken as driver will be deposited into member’s Raspberry Express account at the end of the week (funds can then be withdrawn, or used for ongoing Raspberry Express ridesharing activity).

*** Subject to availability of carpool parking spaces at the bus station.

**** There is a bicycle stand at the meeting-place for members arriving by bicycle.  Bicycles can be locked to the stand.

***** Regarding the pattern of driving and riding, it will be permissible to trade riding and driving duties with other members, and Raspberry Express will help facilitate this.  In normal operations there will be no required pattern.  The pattern is being used in this test drive to ensure the optimal number of three person express rideshares.  Up to twenty of the fifty members approved for the free travel may be people who will only ride.  Up to ten may be people who will only drive.  These quotas will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click here to apply to join in.

In addition, Raspberry Express will pay the first $20 of user fees as you get used to the system.

And Raspberry Express will put ten ride-credits into your account for free as well.  That means you have no cost at all to use the system as a rider, and as a driver you can receive valuable ride-credits from day 1.

So that is no cost to join, and no service charge for using the service for the first 20 journeys, and no cost for the ride-credits that you use.

To use the system you must have a membership card. To get your membership card please complete the five simple steps beginning with this registration form.

At an event in Stanmore Bay yesterday afternoon, Coasters embraced the idea of two express carpooling routes to give them better transport options for their journeys to Albany and the Auckland CBD.

The event had been organised by Raspberry Express, an Auckland based social enterprise (for profit and for social impact).  The purpose of the event was to announce the details of the first express carpooling route.

Auckland Councillor Wayne Walker addressed the group of enthusiasts with an explanation of the challenges faced by the new Auckland Council as it grapples with enhancing transportation for the city.  Mentioning the need for big ticket solutions, particularly rail based ones such as the CBD Loop, Councillor Walker went on to applaud the low-cost nature of the express carpooling solution. 

Raspberry Express announced the details of the first route, from Link Crescent in Arkles Bay (near the Whangaparaoa Plaza) to the Albany Bus Station.  The service will commence on 2 May 2011, at 6:15 am.  Users will qualify to use the preferential parking that has been set aside for arriving carpools at the bus station, and will be able to use bus services such as the Northern Express or local North Shore services to complete their journey.

Responding to calls from the floor the company agreed to simultaneously launch a second route from the same meeting-place, with a destination in the Auckland CBD.  Councillor Walker enthusiastically endorsed this idea, suggesting that he will be a frequent user of the second route.

Speaking for Raspberry Express, Paul Minett outlined the mechanism by which carpools are formed in the express carpooling system.  “Unlike other carpooling solutions, where trip details are arranged in advance, in express carpooling riders and drivers go to a meeting-place and form fuller cars in the order they arrive.  Technology is used to capture details of the trips, and a ride-credit is transferred from each rider to the driver,” he said.  “Every carpool has at least three people in it.  Each meeting-place is specific to one or two destinations.  In order to do the tracking and accounting, it is necessary for people to register with the system, and have background checks carried out before being issued with a membership card.”

Registration and background checks can be initiated by visiting www.raspberryexpress.co.nz.  The application fee of $20 will be waived for all who apply during March, April, and May.

Route Details

Route 1:  Link Crescent to Albany Bus Station.

Meeting-Place

Route 1 Destination

Route 1: Link Crescent to Albany Bus Station

Meeting-Place

Route 2: Link Crescent to Auckland CBD

If you are a Coaster, come along and be among the first to hear the details of the commencement of this exciting new service, that will enable Coasters to save effort and money getting to work.

There will be more details to come (including details of the event venue on the Hibiscus Coast), but we need you to RSVP.  Be one of the first 50 people to RSVP and you’ll receive a petrol voucher in your Raspberry Express Launch Pack at the event.

Come join us for fun, food, and frivolity (and prizes)!   You have nothing to lose and money to save.

We look forward to seeing you there along with your fellow travelling friends and family!

PS: Please pass this message on to others who might be interested!
________________________________________

What:     Raspberry Express Launch Party
Where:  To be advised to those who RSVP
When:   Saturday March 26, 2011, 4 – 6 pm
Who:      Hibiscus Coasters, especially those who travel to Albany
                   or beyond some days of the month, who would be prepared
                   to share a ride but have no easy way to find people to share
                  with. (We make it incredibly simple!).
Why:      Because it would be good to meet the other people who
                  are interested. And Raspberry Express will make it easier
                  and more rewarding to share rides. And it will be fun!
                  Raspberry Express: Carpooling that works when you do!
RSVP:    Here
________________________________________

Raspberry Express is ridesharing that:
- works when you do
- will save you money
- helps to reduce traffic
- cares about the environment
- is fun to use

It’s possibly the simplest way to save!

Click the links to learn more. Register now if you would like to join in.

Click ‘Stay In The Loop’ if you would just like to receive updates.

Raspberry Express is car-pooling for those who need flexibility with their travel plans. The Aucklander’s Sophie Bond reports.

When Steve Braddock drives from his home in Manly to work in the inner city, the 40km trip usually takes longer than an hour.

As his car crawls through morning traffic on the Northern Motorway he despairs at the inefficiency of all the single-occupant vehicles clogging the lanes around him.

He believes a new car-pooling scheme serving the Hibiscus Coast is just what commuters need.

“Raspberry Express is a different attitude to car-pooling. I’m in sales and management, so I need a vehicle for work but, with this concept, you become part of a larger family and you can just turn up when it suits and assist others while alleviating the number of cars on the road.

“I’m keen to become involved. It’s logical as so many of us travel the same route on a regular basis.”

Raspberry Express is a car-pooling system devised by Aucklanders Paul Minett and John Pearce which does not rely on pre-arranged trips.

The first proposed route for the service is from Silverdale to the Albany bus station, where 86 preferential parking spaces are set aside for arriving car-poolers.

Mr Minett says he needs more people to sign up for the route before it can be launched.

“The park-and-ride presents a great opportunity and reportedly a big proportion of the people parking at Albany are commuting from Hibiscus Coast.”

Mr Minett says he worked out the  Raspberry Express while stuck in traffic on the Northwest  Motorway.

“I could see that the cars next to me had only one person in them and were probably going to the same place as I was, central Auckland.”

He says his system works for commuters with variable schedules and allows people to be driver one day and passenger the next. Participants go to a meeting place and fill cars in order of their arrival. There is no pre-arrangement of who will ride with whom. Mr Minett says a vetting process for participants would be decided by the local user groups but would probably include personal referees and checks of police and driving records.

“Mainly, we want to know that people are safe drivers and not violent criminals or petty thieves.”

He says the cost of using the service will be comparable to public transport and he has devised a text message-based system that allows for a simple exchange of ride credits between driver and passenger. Mr Minett is confident the system would also work on Onewa Rd and has asked the Kaipatiki Local Board for funding and support.

“We need a clear message out there about how many trips we need to reduce to avoid congestion and get the traffic flowing. Currently in Auckland, 1.2 million empty seats are being driven to work every day. It’s no surprise we have congestion.”

Mr Minett is a founder of the Ridesharing Institute, an international think-tank focused on doubling ridesharing worldwide within 10 years.

Raspberry ripple

If you would like to know more about Raspberry Express and register interest for the Silverdale to Albany car-pool route, see: www.raspberryexpress.co.nz

To read this story in The Aucklander please click here.

The trial will run from Silverdale to Albany and may also spread to an Onewa Rd to Auckland CBD route.

Called Raspberry Rideshare, the programme is the brainchild of business consultant Paul Minett who came up with the idea as he sat in traffic.

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board has given its full support behind the initiative.

The programme is also talking to the Kaipatiki Local Board over a plan to add a route from Onewa Rd to the CBD.

The scheme involves members gathering at a central location in Silverdale to carpool en route to Albany station.

Silverdale was chosen as starting point in view of figures showing at least 25 percent of cars parking at Albany are from the Hibiscus Coast.

About 1000 coast residents work in the Auckland CBD and another 700 in Albany.

People can join by paying a membership fee of $20. Members are screened to ensure safety and given an ID card and user name.

A currency of ride credits is established – drivers receive ride credits for taking passengers and riders give ride credits for taking a ride.

Riders send a text with the driver ID to the system and ride credits go from each rider to the driver who can use them to obtain future rides.

“Some mornings a member may be the driver and other mornings he may be the passenger.

“The value of ride credits will be determined by the market, it will be flexible and change over time,” he says.

Mr Minett says the scheme is an inexpensive but premium way to carpool.

“The savings in terms of petrol costs and the environment are huge.

“In fact we cannot afford not to carpool, it’s time we got smarter with our use of energy and resources,” he says.

The pilot Silverdale-Albany route needs 150 “pioneers” to get it up and running.

Visit www.raspberryrideshare.com or call Mr Minett on 021-289-8444 for more details.

Raspberry Express Infographic from Ivan Cruz on Vimeo.

North Shore Times

View the original story in the North Shore Times here.

Everyone wins with Raspberry Express as we reduce the traffic particularly where and when it is congested the most.

Our iPad winners are Justine Lamb of Freemans Bay, and Steve Braddock of Manly. Congratulations!

Photos soon!

We like the iPad prize so much that we have started a new competition. Answer the five questions on our competition page and be in the new draw!

Please carry on and answer questions and complete entries.  We will make sure you get in the draw!

Thanks for visiting Raspberry Express!

Two bright-thinkers have created an “invisible solution” for Auckland’s traffic woes.

John Pearce and Paul Minett are the founders of Trip Convergence, a company which has created a flexible car-pooling system.

The idea focuses on a community of car-pool users, where drivers can meet at agreed points and fill up their cars with pre-screened commuters.

“Single occupancy vehicles cause waste – in the form of 1.2 million empty seats travelling to Auckland each day,” says Mr Minett. “The problem is, how are you going to get people to share rides?”

He says a mind-shift is needed by those who govern transport.

“If they were to offer a system that made it easy and safe, many more people would do it. Unfortunately there is a perception that this takes away from public transport, rather than complementing it. So first we need to resolve institutional issues.

“People will get in behind and use it. I characterise it like a drug and it needs a human trial. It’s a traffic decongestant.”

Mr Minett says inspiration for the car-pooling system came to him while stuck in traffic on the north-western motorway.

“I looked across at another driver and realised the person was probably going where I was.”

Co-founder Mr Pearce says the system eliminates the morning-time overhead of arranging a ride. “Pulling into a car-pool area is easy.”

He estimates car-poolers could save about two-thirds of their transport costs.

Since forming, the company has gained an Australian and New Zealand patent for the flexible car-pooling idea which includes meeting places, membership and ride credits.

Mr Minett says Canadian and United States patents are pending.

The pair recently approached the Auckland Regional Council’s regional transport committee with the concept, and chairwoman Christine Rose has given it her support.

“It’s really clear there is an important and growing role for car-pooling in the region. It is more viable and cost-effective than some other options, and it would work to complement public transport and private vehicle use.

“Car-pooling offers an increase in capacity that may not be available through public transport.”

She says the potential is untapped and it would cater for those seeking a different level of service.

The system will be recommended to the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and the new council transport body for consideration.

For information visit www.tripconvergence.co.nz.

Read the article on its original site:  Central Leader