Information about carpooling at UWA

Great, so you want more information about carpooling. UWA Carpool provides guidelines to setting up a carpool that you feel comfortable with, and a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions.

1. What is carpooling, lift sharing, or car sharing?

Carpooling is when two or more people share a ride to a common or nearby destination. Carpooling is ideally suited for your trip to UWA, but can easily be done for other trips such as shopping or going out with friends.

Some people choose to carpool just once or twice a week, or just occasionally, while others choose to carpool every day.

2. Carpooling guidelines

Click here to read our suggested guidelines for carpooling

3. How does carpooling benefit me?

Carpooling reduces your travel costs
When you share a journey, the travel costs are divided between two or more people. If you regularly share with just one person, you can choose to halve the petrol and maintenance costs associated with your journey.

  Use our calculator to find your potential savings

Carpooling reduces your travel time
Carpooling removes cars from the road, improving journey times for all road users.

Carpooling reduces congestion and pollution
Sick of breathing in smog? Carpooling directly reduces the number of individual car journeys being made each day, and therefore reduces pollution.

Carpooling reduces parking problems
Fewer cars competing for parking spaces makes it easier to park where you need to be. Plus, four eyes are better than two for finding the best parks!

Carpooling reduces the need for private cars
Regular carpooling will remove the need for many people to own a car. With less cars sitting in car parks all day, many families will no longer need a second car. Imagine the savings on registration, insurance, maintenance and fuel!

Carpooling increases your transport options
Carpooling is seen by many as an alternative form of public transport. With some areas poorly served by buses or trains, carpooling provides a real alternative.

4. When can I carpool?

Regular journey to work, university, etc.
The most effective carpool arrangements are often for regular journeys that can be shared with the same people on a daily basis. Our advanced matching software will help you find the perfect travel partners.

One off journeys for shopping, sporting events, or even a day at the beach
Our matching service has been designed to allow you to register single journeys for almost any purpose. As long as you know where and when you will be travelling, you can carpool!

5. Where can I park at UWA when I carpool?

When you carpool to UWA you can apply for a UWA Carpool Permit, which allows you to use specially marked UWA Carpool bays. These are best suited to commuters who carpool frequently, as they require all carpool members to sacrifice their rights to standard Red and Yellow UWA parking permits.

If you do not have a UWA Carpool Permit you can only park according to the parking permit on your car. If your car has a Red Permit you can park in Red Permit Bays, if your car has a Yellow Permit you can park in Yellow Permit Bays, and if your car has no permit you can park in ticketed pay-and-display bays. Details of the location of carparks can be found on the UniPark website.

6. Do I have to carpool every day?

No. It is completely up to you how often and when you carpool. You may like to use this site for a one-off lift or you can input your regular journeys and wait to see on which days matches occur. You are able to enter different journey times for each day to match your timetable.

7. What if there is a problem with the person I carpool with?

Should a problem arise in a carpool situation, you are under no obligation to continue and you can pull out at any time.

8. What if I don’t have a car, can I still join?

Yes. You can still join and get a lift with someone else.

9. If I join, do I have to travel with anyone?

No. If you sign up to the carpool program you are under no obligation to travel with anyone if you don’t want to.

10. How much does it cost to carpool?

Nothing. If fact it is likely to cost you less to carpool as you share travel and parking costs. Your travel costs will be directly reduced either by contributions from your passengers, or by taking it in turns to drive when regularly sharing with the same people.

Click here for guidelines on suggested payments.

11. Is it safe to carpool?

Your safety is our top priority and we have designed this site to ensure the privacy of your personal information. Your address and contact details are never made available to other members unless you include this information in a private message to a carpool partner.

When it comes to travelling, every member is responsible for his or her own safety. However, we do recommend that you follow some simple security measures as outlined below:

  • Avoid exchanging home addresses with your travel partners before you meet them.
  • Arrange to meet in a public place.
  • Inform a friend or family member of who you will be travelling with and the details of your journey.
  • Ask to see identification so you know you are travelling with the right person.
  • Ask to see a current driver’s license.
  • You are under no obligation to go ahead with any carpool journey. If you have any doubts about your travelling companion, for any reason, you should avoid travelling with them.

12. Will carpooling affect my insurance policy?

It is our understanding that your private car insurance policy will not be affected by carpooling provided that the arrangement does not produce a profit for the vehicle owner or driver.

If you are in any doubt as to whether a carpool arrangement contravenes any clause in your insurance policy, you should contact your insurance provider directly.