Thanks to $30,000 in new provincial funding, GoManitoba is offering Manitobans a better online platform when it comes to creating their carpool and rideshare connections.
GoManitoba is part of the not-for-profit group Green Action Centre (GAC). The organization’s primary goal is to introduce sustainable, healthy commuting options to Manitobans.
It’s not just a means of finding carpool partners, though. The app also provides up-to-date information on Winnipeg’s public transit routes and walking and bike paths.
As well, the site connects users with mentors who can help them navigate the public transit system for the first time or find the best bike-friendly routes.
On September 12, Tracy Schmitt, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, met with members of the GAC and University of Manitoba Sustainability Projects Coordinator, Christie Nairn, to make the funding announcement.
“Finding greener and more sustainable transportation options is critical to reduce our GHG emissions,” says Schmidt. “Our government is taking real action to fight climate change and we are proud to support tools like GoManitoba to help Manitobans work together to protect our planet while saving money on their commute.”
GoManitoba was first launched in 2017. Thanks to the recent introduction of the more user-friendly platform, GAC hopes the word will continue to spread and increase the number of users.
Mel Marginet is one member of the sustainable transportation team at GAC. She’s excited to launch the sleek new carpool tool.
“The most common use is to find carpool partners,” Marginet tells The Citizen. “This [site] is kind of like the Kijiji of carpooling where the ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ are coming together to make those connections.”
While most of the existing 3,000 GoManitoba members are residents of Winnipeg, Marginet says that the tool is equally useful to rural residents.
“We really see carpooling as the missing link for a lot of communities that don’t have public transit to get them to and from the city or from their neighbouring communities,” Marginet says. “This can really offer people the opportunity to reduce their driving alone or to offer commuting options to people who have been, so far, left behind in a lot of ways.”
Marginet says that the tool isn’t just there for those needing to carpool to work on a daily basis. It can be used by anyone for single-trip options, too. For instance, if someone is looking to rideshare in order to get to a medical appointment, GoManitoba provides the means to arrange it.
Anyone planning private or public events will also find the app useful as a way to offer sustainable travel options to their guests.
The provincial funding will serve a second purpose for GAC. Now they’ll be able to incentivize business owners across the province to network with GoManitoba.
Marginet says that, statistically, most users of the carpool app first heard about GoManitoba through their place of employment. For this reason, GAC recognizes the benefit in getting employers on board as networking partners.
“As much as we can promote as a small non-profit, it really makes a difference when those organizations sign up and help get the word out,” says Marginet.
For a nominal monthly fee, organizations can create network pages on the GoManitoba site. Here, they can run employee contests and reward programs to encourage carpool use.
It also gives the organization free access to GoManitoba’s Emergency Ride Home program, which reimburses carpool employees if they need to use public transit or a taxi to leave work early due to a personal emergency.
Organizations who register with GoManitoba can receive the first six months of membership for free.
