Carpooling in Charlottesville

As first-years, we all know the pains of not having a car on campus. There are places that the buses and trolleys do not go and public transportation simply doesn’t offer the convenience that cars do. Cars are especially needed when trying to visit other schools for the weekend or traveling to and from home. As I see it, students have four easy options: Amtrak, Zipcar, Hoo’s driving? Hoo’s riding?, and NuRide.

Amtrak is probably the form of transportation that is most familiar. The Amtrak station is not far from Charlottesville and can be easily accessed from the trolley. However, the Amtrak station closest to your destination may actually turn out to be quite far from the place you are actually going. Also, the price of tickets exponentially rises if your destination is far from Charlottesville.

Zipcar allows students to rent cars either by day or by hour. There is a one time $35 membership fee per year though UVA students get a free $35 dollars for driving just for signing up. Gas is paid for you along with a free 180 miles per day for driving. There are 6 Zipcars located in various spots around UVA’s campus, though they do need to be reserved beforehand online. My take on Zipcar is that it is good for traveling for a day within Charlottesville if you do not want to take public transportation but that the price per day is too expensive for overnight trips unless you have 3 other friends to take with you.

Hoo's Driving? Hoo's Riding? is a Facebook group created for the sole purpose of carpooling. Riders can post when and where they need to go and drivers will contact them about the driving details. Riders are typically expected to pay for gas. This option definitely seems the best for weekend trips to other colleges. However, as a rider, your trip hinges upon the availability of a driver and both of your times coinciding with one another.

Finally, NuRide is the transportation option that led me to this blog topic in the first place. Essentially it accomplishes what Hoo’s Driving? Hoo’s Riding? does but in a much more professional manner. Though it does take some time creating a profile, you can add locations for home, school, or wherever you need to go into a list of preferences. You can then find drivers or riders with those same preferences and easily contact them. Each driver and rider is given a feedback rating after each trip, which is reminiscent of the eBay system. The only problem with NuRide is that it has a significantly less population than Hoo’s Driving? Hoo’s Riding?. From what I can tell, only riders have bothered to make accounts and so trips are not actually able to be coordinated. Ultimately, I ask you to take a look. It is an impressive system that, with more recognition, could be so much more than it is now.