Le Covoiturage

What is your main mode of transport?

I usually take public transport when I have to go somewhere. The one I take the most is the subway, which allows me to move quickly and easily in no time. I also often use the bus even though it's slower than the subway but it can ride you to more accurate locations.

When it's about making long distances, I take the train. Covoiturage is indeed cheaper, but still takes more time than train, and you're limited by the amount of bags/stuff you have to take with you since you're sharing a car with many people.

Is owning a car/ having access to a car important to you?

Having a car is really important. Having a driving licence is what most teenagers think of when they turn 18.

Having a car enables you not to rely on public transport when for example you have to go to work or to an appointment. It allows you not to hurry up nor wonder whether you missed the bus or not.

And it's more convenient to have access to a car on a daily basis : Picking up children/friends, travel, go to groceries. If we had to compare the cost of having a car and the cost of having a season ticket for public transport, it's obvious that having a car is more expensive, but the advantages you get from a car compensate the difference of price between the 2.

Do you partake in covoiturage? if no, what are the obstacles preventing you from using covoiturage?

I do not use covoiturage, as I don't often travel. And I also find more convenient to take the train to make long-distance travels than covoiturage. The main reason why I don't partake covoiturage is because I find it hard to trust people you've never met. You don't know if they will show up on time, who are they, where they could take you to.

It's true that covoiturage is really popular and there is no way to worry about it, you can meet new people and see new friends and make the trip funnier, but we're still dependent to someone you don't know. You're giving away your comfort and your freedom of transportation to save up money.

To sum it up : you rely on the good will of someone. If he/she is keen to share his car, you can get a spot in it. If he/she doesn't want, there is nothing you can do about it.

Why do you think covoiturage works in Rennes and is increasingly becoming a prominent form of transportation here in bretagne?

Covoiturage in Rennes works because Rennes has a lot of students who are coming from all over France. It is a way for them to save up a little bit of money -which is important when you are a student- and share the cost of transportation.

And I think this is why covoiturage works in Bretagne : people are coming from the same areas away from Bretagne and covoiturage works more for long trips rather than home-work/short trips.

And since many students can't keep up with having a car and taking of it, covoiturage is the best solution for one problem : strikes. When people are on strike in France, you're very likely to be stuck at home and not being able to find transportation to go to work or university. So, covoiturage remains a rescue plan if you experience a strike.

Do

...