Avego Survey Reveals Untapped Consumer Demand for Carpooling to Address Commuting Issues
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WASHINGTON--March 1, 2011: Avego, a global provider of transportation software, reports today the results of a consumer survey designed to determine American commuters' viewpoints on carpooling.
“This survey demonstrates that Americans are motivated to try carpooling if they can save time and money on their commute. Carpooling is an effective way to lower the amounts households and businesses spend on transportation, while reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil.”
The Avego survey of U.S. commuters revealed key findings in a number of areas including:
1. Saving Time and Money: 77 percent of consumers surveyed responded that they are interested in carpooling. Of those interested, 60 percent are motivated to carpool by the potential to save time on their commute, and 69 percent are motivated by the potential to save money.
2. How Much Money? For those consumers who would consider carpooling, 66 percent would carpool for $30 or less in savings per week.
3. Controlling the timing: When asked the primary reason they like to drive to work, 37 percent of respondents indicated they like to control when they leave, while 19 percent choose driving because it is more convenient than other options.
4. Rural vs. Urban: 77 percent of survey respondents who identified themselves as rural or suburban residents indicated they would be interested in carpooling versus 76 percent of respondents who identified as urban dwellers. Urbanites were most motivated by time savings, while rural/suburban residents were most motivated by saving money.
James Corless, executive director of Transportation for America, a national campaign to reform and improve our transportation system, said, "This survey demonstrates that Americans are motivated to try carpooling if they can save time and money on their commute. Carpooling is an effective way to lower the amounts households and businesses spend on transportation, while reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil."
The findings come at a critical time for America's transportation authorities, as new data from Inrix and the Texas Transportation Institute's recent Urban Mobility Report detail the massive amounts of time and money wasted by traffic congestion. Additionally, President Obama recently outlined a $556 billion transportation plan as part of his 2012 budget proposal.
"Despite the gradual decline in carpooling in America in the last 30 years, interest in carpooling remains phenomenally high," said Sean O'Sullivan, Avego managing director. "If technology and policy can combine to offer the right mix of time and money savings to potential carpoolers, millions of Americans can play their part in reducing the huge costs of traffic congestion and infrastructure."
Currently, nearly twice as many people in the United States carpool as take public transit, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The data from the Avego survey suggests America's carpooling rate could be seven times higher than it is.
About Avego's Real-time Ridesharing
Avego is the only ridesharing application that matches drivers and riders in real time as they travel, so you can rideshare whenever you want, from wherever you are.
To start an Avego ride-sharing community in your city, visit Avego to download the free Avego Driver iPhone application or to sign up as a rider. A free application for Windows Phone 7 smartphones will be available to the public in May 2011.
About Avego
Founded in 2007, Avego Avego is a global provider of software, hardware and professional services for improving the efficiency of passenger transportation. Led by a multinational team of transport experts, Avego is a multinational company with offices in the United States (Washington, Silicon Valley and San Diego), Ireland (Kinsale and Dublin) and China (Dalian and Shenzhen). Avego's customers include cities, governments and public transport operators in the United States, China and the UK, and thousands of individual consumers and private transport operators.
