Compared with those of other world-leading cities, Abu Dhabi’s green strategies can often seem confusing, even a tad counter-productive. While billions of dirhams are thrown at grand projects such as Masdar City – the capital’s proposed über-futuristic, carbon-neutral eco-district – you’ll still be hard pushed to find somewhere to recycle your daily newspaper without having to drive halfway across the city. In other words, although we’re generally happy to look into turning the air-con down a couple of notches, we’d still quite like to pull some donuts in a Hummer afterwards.
But while the capital catches up on the basics, there are some simple, practical things you can do to help curb the UAE’s colossal carbon footprint. A growing trend across the globe, ridesharing (or carpooling) is one of the easiest ways to appease your social conscience. As you might have guessed, it’s a simple system whereby commuters make use of the spare seats in their vehicles to accommodate fellow travellers, ultimately reducing the number of cars on the road. And if you’ve ever found yourself on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway during rush hour, you’ll understand why this is something that needs to happen.
As Isabelle Boulard, owner and operator of ridesharing website carpoolworld.com explains, the benefits go beyond the purely environmental. ‘For longer journeys, taxis and public transport are not as comfortable as a private car,’ she says. ‘It’s healthy also; people feel like they’re contributing to reducing the emissions in their area, and are able to save money and talk on the way to work.’
But what about the do-gooding statistics you’ll want to reel off to those enquiring about your new green regime? ‘We ask people to tell us what type of commutes they are doing, and they report every month how their habits change,’ Isabelle explains. ‘So people are able to calculate their own carbon footprints and also see it on a city level.’ For example, Isabelle estimates that, over the past year, Abu Dhabi and Dubai-based ridesharers have saved a staggering 38 metric tons of CO2.
However, smug back-patting and hippy hand-holding aside for a moment, travelling with strangers does involve some obvious risks, and there are certain things you should consider before deciding to get involved. ‘The most important thing is to agree on all the rules before getting in anybody else’s car,’ says Isabelle. ‘Agree on whether or not you take turns driving, set up how the costs will be split, if somebody will buy sandwiches or coffee, and also what kind of music you play or if it’s going to be silent. Some people really just want to drive in peace, and it’s important to respect everyone’s wishes.’
No luck finding someone who shares your enthusiasm for a spot of death metal first thing in the morning? Thankfully, you’re in a position to be picky. As well as the 2,000 UAE users who are registered on Isabelle’s website (the majority of whom are looking for someone to share the commute between Abu Dhabi and Dubai), you’ll also find handfuls of ads posted each day on the community section of listings site dubizzle.com. We’d recommend taking a good look at both and drawing up a shortlist of people who are looking to travel the same route as you, and then dropping each of them a call or a friendly email to sound out whether or not you’d happily spend the best part of three hours a day sitting next to them on a busy road. Or, of course, you can always post your own ad and let prospective travel buddies come to you.
Given that they share your environmental concerns, don’t be surprised if the people you meet while ridesharing become more than a cash-saving convenience. ‘We get a lot of really fun and positive feedback,’ says Isabelle. ‘A lot of people have a pool of usuals who they’ll go out with after work or whatever. We’ve even heard of couples meeting in a carpool and getting married.’ Who needs the Eiffel Tower when you’ve got the Sheikh Zayed Road?
Itching to get involved? Head to carpoolworld.com or dubizzle.com to track down your nearest ridesharers.
