Carpooling is one of many initiatives that can lower the climate impact of transport. Carpooling is also a way you can help each other with transportation, if you e.g. live in a place where there is not much public transport, or you do not have the opportunity to drive yourself.

 

The Ta'Med carpooling app


Since the vast majority of people who drive a car to work today are alone in the car, there is great potential in driving several people together. In the Municipality of Middelfart we therefore wants to make it easier and more attractive to drive together.
In collaboration with FDM (the Danish association of motorists), which has developed the carpooling app Ta’Med, the municipality encourages driving together - to and from work and education and leisure activities. The communities, the high school and several public and private workplaces are supporting carpooling and the app Ta’Med.

There are (at least) 3 good reasons to carpool and drive together:

  1. You can save the climate from CO2 emissions
  2. You can save money
  3. You can help a colleague, neighbor or others - and have a nice trip
The roll-out of carpooling in the Municipality's local community is supported by the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs' “Landdistriktspulje”.

 

Background and participation in CORA

The Municipality of Middelfart has for some time been working on how to make transportation in the rural areas easier in an environmentally friendly way. Therefore, the project "KørMed" (RideAlong), as part of the international project CORA, was launched with the aim of making carpooling easier and more attractive for the municipality's citizens.

KørMed was created in collaboration with several smaller local communities, a large workplace, a sports club and an educational institution and with the help of specialists in behavioral design.

The KørMed project was basically about transportation over short distances in the rural areas outside the larger cities in the Municipality of Middelfart. This means local transport, eg to and from work, to pick up and bring children to sports or to get to and from a youth education.

The first step in the project was about the technological solutions and influencing people's behavior. Therefore, in the first instance, work has been done on designing concepts that makes it easy and attractive to drive together.
The project was tested in 3 “modules” in the autumn of 2019, and based on these first experiences, the carpooling scheme has now been further developed in order to get more people to drive together.

The most important lessons learned in the KørMed pilot are:

  • The technology and ridesharing apps are either already available or are being developed
  • It is the change of behaviour that might crack the code for more ridesharing
  • The inhabitants show a great interest to “do something for the environment and each other” through ridesharing
  • The potential users need help & nudges in the progress – otherwise the ridesharing will not happen

KørMed is part of the international project CORA, co-financed by the European Union, European Regional Development Fund and the North Sea Region programme.

Read more about CORA on coraproject.eu (new window)