You’re sharing a ride with Jayride and want to know how much to charge for your carpool…

Or, your planning to travel around New Zealand and need to know how much money to budget for fuel…

We know a site that can help you: http://pricewatch.co.nz/

Pricewatch contains the latest information on petrol, diesel and LPG prices from around New Zealand. Prices are broken up by region and by petrol station brand so you can quickly find which fuel prices are most relevant for you.

In short: An excellent, VERY useful site. Go take a look… here

So, you want to travel New Zealand for your Christmas break. Being a “staycationer” is cheaper than going abroad… or maybe your an overseas tourist and travel to New Zealand is cheaper than staying home. Either way good on you!

You probably know where you want to go, but how to get there? What you need is some alternative travel advice!

NZ is beautiful. But you wouldn’t know it from a passenger airline. Flights miss the beauty, so this summer we recommend travel by land.

You could always take a bus. If you’re a foreigner maybe a bus package would be more your style…

But hey what about some real alternatives:

Hitchhiking is fun!
1) there’s no better way to see the landscape than from roadside.
2) there’s no better way to meet the locals than from the passenger seat.
If you don’t like the idea of waiting for a lift then plan ahead! Click share a ride on Jayride and find your drivers ahead of time.

Or stay in the driving seat. Get a rental car, then share your itinerary, and find passengers to contribute to your holiday costs (and holiday fun)!

You could always share a plane ride – and not the jumbo jet kind either :)

And as a final option for anyone stuck in Auckland, how about a beautiful ferry ride from Auckland to Coromandel? Get way, way away from town for as long as you like – no car required!

Where is everyone going for summer? If you read this let us know in comments below! I always love to hear other people’s travel ideas – and hell, maybe Jayride can help you get there.

Happy Summer!

For the independent backpacker, travel on a tight budget is an every-day reality. Getting from A to B when you can’t afford even the cheapest bus ticket can sometimes be tough! Still, it’s important not to let money hold you back, especially when cheap travel can be one of the most exciting things you’ll do in New Zealand.

Hitchhiking

Hitch hiking in New Zealand is legal and comparatively safe. Kiwi’s are usually a friendly bunch and will regularly stop to pick up hitch-hikers in need. If you’re on a budget and not in a hurry, hitching is a great option for travel in NZ.

Increase your chances of getting picked up by being prepared. A tidy appearance is very important, for guys make sure you’ve shaved recently. If you are carrying a large backpack, keep it visible; people are more likely to stop for foreign travelers as they’re usually friendly and tell better stories. Finally, and most importantly, prepare a sign that says where you are going with “please” and “thank you” included; it really does pay to be polite. A sign is also good for use as an umbrella if the weather turns bad.

Stay safe when hitch hiking by using common sense. Stand a safe distance back from the road! If you’re ever in someone’s car and you feel unsafe, simply ask the driver to pull over. Finally if you have a phone, txt your whereabouts and the license-plate number of your ride to a friend just in-case anything goes wrong.

Internet Ridesharing

If hitchhiking makes you feel unsafe, or the thought of waiting by the road in the rain turns you off, then why not try Internet ridesharing? Carpool and rideshare websites are a great resource for backpacker travel in New Zealand.

Jayride is a New Zealand carpool and rideshare website perfectly designed to help travelers get around. Free to use, backpackers can register to contact other travelers and arrange to share rides. Jayride’s secure email makes meeting people safer, so it’s a great way to meet travel-mates with which to backpack the country.

For travelers thinking of renting a car, sharing rides online is a great way to save money on travel. For independent travelers, looking online first could save you hours by the roadside!

Save money, have more fun

New Zealand is best traveled by road, and for independent backpackers hitching is a great way to go. Hitching or online ride-sharing lets you see more on the road and meet more people, stop in more interesting places and see more sights. Even better, it does all of this while saving you money. Try it roadside, or online at www.jayride.co.nz

Its hard to find time to write a great blog post… just as hard as it is to read them. Although “web-gurus” will expound the benefits of writing blog posts so that Google can find them, we’d much rather be read by People :P Especially NZ traveler types with their limited net time in expensive internet cafes…

So with that in mind – Jayride is now on Twitter! Get your Jayride fix in seconds at http://twitter.com/Jayride.

We’ll be using our twitter to keep everyone up to date with the latest green and transport news from around NZ and the absolute best Jayride rideshares – like this one.

Come follow us at @Jayride :D

Sick of the traffic jams? Want an easy way to reduce your impact on the environment? Aucklander Sarah Painter has a solution – she is organising Auckland’s first carpool day on Wednesday 5 August 2009.

Sarah says that Carpool Day is about trying out carpooling.

“It might sound like a crazy idea but we’d like Aucklanders to have a go for one day – share their cars, make a difference to the Auckland traffic situation, do something positive for the environment, save themselves money, and have fun with some friends.

“We’ve set up a website www.carpoolday.com where people can make a pledge to carpool on Carpool Day, find out more about carpooling, and get advice on finding fellow carpoolers. We’re hoping that people will be so interested in the idea of Carpool Day they’ll encourage their friends and family to pledge as well. Our goal is to have 1,000 people carpool on Carpool Day.

“Carpooling may be something people try and then continue doing, or maybe it won’t. By having a go on Wednesday 5 August, you’ll get to make a difference to the traffic and to the environment, and find out if carpooling is something you want to do more regularly.”

Sarah, an environmental educator, was inspired by her partner Ian who carpools to work every day with family members.

“I got a ride with my partner and his family one day and it was a lot more fun than I’d expected, so then I wanted to help others try out carpooling. I think we all know there are too many cars on the road in Auckland, and for many people, public transport is not a viable option.

“Carpooling is the perfect solution – it saves time, money, fuel, wear and tear on your car, and reduces traffic congestion and air pollution, makes the commute less stressful because the driving is shared, and you get to spend time with friends.”

Carpool Day is an entirely voluntary project – Sarah has roped in friends to help, and is looking for more people to get involved and make it happen. Visit www.carpoolday.com to find out more.

New to the idea of finding a carpool online? Jayride’s of course our favourite site :) but there are plenty more options out there, and by using a combination of multiple sites you’re far more likely to find that rideshare you need.

But hey, if you’re new you might now know where to start…

1) Start here. NZS.com has a very comprehensive listing of carpool sites in NZ and it’s a pretty good place to see what’s out there.

2) Start here. Linkoz has a good travel and carpool directory also.

Jayride is now a happy bubbling 6 month old!

2100+ members in 6 months, with little or no marketing budget, in the very niche field of carpooling is hella impressive we think!

We’d just like to take a second to say THANKS! to everyone who’s signed up as a member and started to make this community what it is.

We love you all!

You might remember this post where we highlighted some great unexpected uses for Jayride, like selling bus tickets or advertising rides in your stretched limousine… Well we’ve got some more interesting ones for you.

Jayride’s member Shuttles wants to help you move your stuff around the country. Inspired by the lengths that people go to shipping around goods bought on Trademe, Shuttles thought he should offer up space in his van when he visits the whanau in Te Awamutu:

“I thought hey, why not advertise “items to carry”. How I came about this was because I surf Trademe and there are a lot of people that ask questions on auctions on how much to ship to so & so … I tried to get in there and say I can ship but then I get hit by Trademe saying this is against the rules … So when I heard about your site on Breakfast well I thought maybe on [Jayride].”

Good on you shuttles! Check out his first listing here, or look out for the next one.

How do you top that? How about a free flight to Whanganui for you and a friend in a 4 seater Cessna 182? Our member Planeride is a commercial pilot who has flown his own plane for over 30 years. Now he flies for his business, sometimes by himself on up to 150 days per year, and is looking for passengers! For free!:

“I have often thought there should be a site for long haul rides in New Zealand eg Wanganui to Auckland etc, I am sure there are plenty of solo drivers who would offer rides. For me as a pilot, I often know a couple of days in advance where I am going (usually from South Taranaki) ie near Wanganui and passengers would be very welcome.”

How good is that! See his listing here, or look out for the next one.

For immediate release: Download PDF – Jayride Press Release, 19-01-09

Jayride to Prove Carpooling, Domestic Tourism, are Cheap and Green Alternatives for NZ

Auckland, New Zealand, 19/01/09 – Jayride.co.nz to prove carpooling and domestic travel great for NZ. New Zealand’s biggest online ride-sharing service, Jayride, will carpool from Auckland to Queenstown commencing 26 January. Jayride will remind kiwis of NZ’s iconic destinations, and prove ride-sharing works as an easy way to save money and combat climate change.

Rod Bishop, cofounder of Jayride will take a compact car from Auckland to Queenstown, departing Auckland on 26 January. Jayride will carpool to iconic New Zealand destinations, using every means to find passengers – meeting locals, backpackers and business people, blogging and listing rides on Jayride.co.nz

Interest is already high; “sounds like a perfect ride,” says Marty, a dutch tourist traveling New Zealand.

“If Jayride makes it from Auckland to Queenstown filling spare seats for the whole trip it will show ride-sharing works by proving that kiwis can share any ride they want, whenever they want,” says Rod Bishop.

Additionally, the trip will remind kiwis of the great destinations on their doorstep. In tight financial times domestic travel is a cost-saving alternative to overseas holidays, especially when New Zealand’s greatest destinations are now cheaper than ever to reach with Jayride.

Ride-sharing is a great way for New Zealanders to save money on travel expenses and to reduce their carbon footprint. Emissions from motor vehicles are responsible for New Zealand being the 6th worst polluter per capita in the world. By proving carpooling is a viable alternative to driving alone, Jayride offers a real-world solution for New Zealand transport.

The Jayride Challenge will be blogged with photography from the road at news.jayride.co.nz

Transport shouldn’t cost the earth – Rideshare with Jayride.

For additional information on this release: Jayride to Prove Carpooling, Domestic Tourism, are Cheap and Green Alternatives for NZ, and for an itinerary of scheduled stops, contact Jayride. To see the site in action visit www.jayride.co.nz

Jayride is New Zealand’s largest public ride-sharing service, with over 1450 members sharing 14,500 rides around New Zealand. Jayride’s founders are Rod Bishop and Ross Lin, young New Zealand entrepreneurs.

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For immediate release: Download PDF – Jayride Press Release, 21-12-08

Jayride Launches New Share Transport Website for Cheap Green Transport, in Time for Summer

Wellington, New Zealand, 21/12/08 – Jayride.co.nz launches for the start of the New Zealand summer. Jayride is the next-generation ridesharing website from the makers of Hitch.net.nz, NZ’s largest online rideshare service. Jayride helps kiwis share transport to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

With expensive petrol and reduced income this Christmas, New Zealanders are looking for ways to save. For travelers on the road this summer Jayride is a new option to help save money on petrol, while also reducing their environmental impact. Jayride is free to use.

For commuters, Jayride helps save money on expenses; it also helps tourists to New Zealand meet each other and have more fun on the road.

Jayride harnesses the social power of the internet to provide a ridesharing community that is both helpful and easy to use. Other ride-sharing websites like Gumtree allow users to search long impersonal lists of car pools. Jayride uses tailored technology and mapping to let users search by route and time, then interact online with prospective travel partners.

Jayride’s improvements over its predecessor Hitch.net.nz include increased speed and usability, heightened security and improved search features to find its users more rides, faster and easier.

The site has a strong New Zealand focus. It’s the combination of advanced technology with kiwi localisation that sets Jayride apart.

Transport shouldn’t cost the earth – Rideshare with Jayride.

For additional information on this release: Jayride Launches New Share Transport Website for Cheap Green Transport, in Time for Summer, contact Jayride here. To see the site in action visit www.jayride.co.nz

Jayride is New Zealand’s largest public ride-sharing service, with over 1000 members sharing over 20,000 rides around New Zealand. Jayride’s founders are Rod Bishop and Ross Lin, young New Zealand entrepreneurs.

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