Travel FREE for a week.

Raspberry Express will pay drivers $10, riders ride free, and the coffee is on us.*

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.