Amidst the chill of February, someone decided it was carpool week. Why February? Perhaps the glimmer of Valentine’s day romance makes us think of connecting the lonely. And who is more lonely than the solo driver, double-double in hand, sharing his or her carbon footprint with nary a soul? The poor thing has no one to joke with to pass the mind-numbing minutes inching along the highway. The only conversation might be while buying gas (again) with the gasbar attendant. Wait…that’s automated. Sadness, just plain sadness I tell you.
So lets get in touch with our inner Yentes and play matchmaker. If only there were a way to link people who live near each other, work near each other and even have the same hours? This new fangled computery-thingy might have the answer.
A-ha! Enter Smart Commute , an amazing place to find your new best friend…or at least someone to shoulder half the cost of gas and parking. And hey, if you really pack your car, your costs keep going down…down…down. If you carpool with three other people, the $360 you might spend on gas and parking every month turns into…poof…90 bucks. That’s $270 extra dollars in your pocket. Over a year, that’s a long, sun-filled vacation at a five-star resort. Over 5 years, that’s a downpayment on a house in the GTA (not a big house, but a house nonetheless).
If you happen to be one of the lucky folks who works at University Health Network with me, we even have our own carpool site. That’ll give you the ins and outs of it all…like getting access to those priority parking spots so you don’t need to keep circling your way to the top of the lot.
Speaking of Smart Commute, I hope you said Hi to them as they visited Toronto General Hospital on February 6th, and then Princess Margaret on February 7th. They registered over a dozen new carpoolers on the spot. If not, go look for them at Toronto Rehab Institute on February 14th from 11 AM-2 PM. They have swag to give away like tire-pressure guages, water bottles, and a chance to win a Kindle and some gift certificates. Don’t cry if you missed them. Just register anytime this month, and you are automatically entered to win. There there, all better now.
So don’t go it alone…find your car-mate. And enjoy these pithy thoughts as you make your way home…
- The shortest distance between two points is under construction. ~Noelie Altito
- If everything comes your way, you are in the wrong lane. ~Author Unknown
- There’s so much pollution in the air now that if it weren’t for our lungs there’d be no place to put it all. ~Robert Orben
Talkin' Trash With UHN 