A Winnipeg non-profit is encouraging Manitobans to save money — and curb pollution — with what it calls “the Kijiji of carpooling.”
Members of the Green Action Centre joined provincial Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt at the Seel transit hub in south Winnipeg on Thursday to announce the reboot of GoManitoba. The online platform connects users looking to share a ride to work, school, appointments or special events.
“In Manitoba, our leading cause of (greenhouse gas) emissions is transportation,” Mel Marginet, the Green Action Centre’s lead for workplace commuter options, said.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Mel Marginet, Green Action Centre’s lead for workplace commuter options, announced the reboot of the online platform GoManitoba, which aims to help people find carpool options.
“Manitobans often rely on single-occupancy vehicles to get them to their destinations … This has resulted in communities where it’s difficult to live your life without access to a personal vehicle.”
The GoManitoba tool aims to help reduce single-passenger drives by helping users find carpool partners for frequent commutes or one-off trips. The service also encourages users to ride the bus, walk or cycle by providing route maps and connections with other active transportation travellers. Similar to Kijiji or Airbnb, the platform allows users to find and message other commuters who log similar trips. Once a connection is made, users can choose to swap contact information and build a network of commuting buddies.
“We believe everyone should have the opportunity to choose transportation modes that don’t harm the environment, that are affordable and good for our health and, at the same time, modes that create connections and build communities,” action centre executive director Josep Seras-Gubert said.
GoManitoba was first introduced in 2017 and amassed nearly 3,000 users before COVID-19 social distancing protocols came into effect. The pandemic lockdowns and work-from-home policies led to a dropoff in GoManitoba users, Marginet said, but also triggered a “bike boom” and prompted Manitobans to start thinking differently about how they travel.
With more Manitobans back to their regular commutes, “We thought this was a really good time to do a relaunch with some more user-friendly tools,” she said.
GoManitoba was upgraded this year to streamline the digital experience and — hopefully — reach more users. Marginet said she would like to see the user base grow to 5,000 Manitobans, including more rural and northern carpoolers.
The action centre is also looking to work directly with businesses, schools and other organizations to create dedicated ride-sharing networks for staff members through the GoManitoba platform.
The upgrades have come with a little help from the province, which provided $30,000 to cover technology costs. The NDP government announced in April it would restore nearly $400,000 in annual funding for environmental non-profits, including $230,000 for the action centre, which had been cut under the previous Tory government.
“Finding greener transportation options is critical to reduce our (greenhouse gas) emissions, and we believe that Go Manitoba will not only help reduce our transportation emissions, but will also help folks have a bit more money in their pockets,” Schmidt said during the launch event.
Julia-Simone Rutgers
Reporter
Julia-Simone Rutgers is the Manitoba environment reporter for the Free Press and The Narwhal. She joined the Free Press in 2020, after completing a journalism degree at the University of King’s College in Halifax, and took on the environment beat in 2022. Read more about Julia-Simone.
Julia-Simone’s role is part of a partnership with The Narwhal, funded by the Winnipeg Foundation. Every piece of reporting Julia-Simone produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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