Covoit’ici offers a free carpooling offer on daily journeys between Rouen and Barentin.
The Rouen Normandy Metropolis and the Caux-Austreberthe Community of Communes have innovated by opening a simple, economical, ecological and supportive carpooling service. The Covoit’ici carpooling lines, financed by the Métropole and operated by the start-up Ecov, allow carpooling free of charge and without reservation between Barentin and Rouen on a daily basis, in particular for home-work journeys. Objective: to facilitate mobility and sharing, while reducing traffic jams and pollution. More than 50 drivers already offer their journeys between the three stops located in Barentin – near the SNCF station and in the North near the Lucibel car park – and in Rouen, Pasteur district, in front of the Brico Dépôt store.
To date, more than 1,000 trips have already been offered by these drivers. Making use of the hundreds of free seats in circulation, this carpooling service is particularly popular at a time when fuel prices are skyrocketing.
For Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, President of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis and Christophe Bouillon, President of the Community of Communes of Caux-Austreberthe: “The territories of the Rouen Normandie Metropolis and the Community of Communes Caux-Austreberthe are bordering and significant pendulum flows are exerted between them. We are committed to offering alternative solutions to solo driving in order to combat the heavy congestion between Barentin and Rouen. This new carpooling line, on this structuring axis, is a first lever. This new service, fully funded, is off to a remarkable start and allows our inhabitants to travel while saving money and taking care of the carbon footprint of our territories! To go further, the Rouen metropolis, the leading agglomeration in France for the development of carpooling, is currently carrying out a feasibility study concerning the creation of a lane reserved for collective use (public transport with a high level of service, carpooling, etc.). ) along the A 150“.
Rouen and Barentin, territories conducive to carpooling
In Metropolitan France, cars carry, on average, only 1.03 people on home-to-work journeys: you drive alone in your car and there are plenty of free seats! The Covoit’ici carpooling lines make it possible to fight against this “solo driving” and prevent thousands of cars from driving empty every day. Transport represents more than a quarter (26%) of greenhouse gas emissions in the territory. The air quality there is one of the worst in France, yet it causes 2,600 premature deaths each year in Normandy. The ecological and health potential of the Covoit’ici service seems obvious. Its economic potential too:
● In France, one in four people has difficulty getting to work.
● A resident of Barentin who leaves his car at home to go to work in Rouen by carpooling will save around €1130 per year! Not to mention its carbon footprint…
Barentin Nord, Barentin Gare and Rouen Pasteur are served
The Rouen Normandy Metropolis and the Caux-Austreberthe Community of Municipalities have therefore decided to call on Ecov to deploy these daily carpooling lines without reservation, around 3 stops:
– North Barentin (Alley of the orchards, Lucibel car park)
– Barentin Station
– Rouen Pasteur (Avenue du Mont Riboudet, in front of the Brico Dépôt, 300 m from TEOR Pasteur)
NB: Other stops could be installed later, depending on usage.
The Covoit’ici lines operate with an application (or an sms route) which allows drivers to pick up, at stops located on their route, passengers going in the same direction as them and who have signaled it. In summary, it’s the same principle as a bus line, with the difference that Covoit’ici is free for passengers and that drivers are compensated by the Métropole Rouen Normandie and the Community of communes Caux-Austreberthe (until at 3.50 euros per trip if two passengers are transported during rush hour)!
With Covoit’ici, everyday carpooling has many advantages:
● No reservations, no constraints: for residents, it’s a simple, practical and free means of transport.
● People without a license or without a car can get around more easily.
● Strengthening of social ties and solidarity in the territory.
● Less pollution and traffic jams by fighting against “autosolism”.
An innovative carpooling service that has already proven itself
The new Covoit’ici Barentin – Rouen lines are part of the continuity of a larger project: the Covoit’ici Rouen Seine Normandy network. Launched in April 2022, the first carpooling lines in Normandy deployed between Rouen and Val-de-Reuil are offering promising results:
● more than 170 active drivers;
● more than 7,800 journeys offered by these drivers since opening;
● departures in 6 minutes on average for passengers: as efficient as a tram
● development of strong bonds of solidarity.
In the Rouen Normandy metropolis and the Caux-Austreberthe community of municipalities, Covoit’ici will be able to benefit from the same solidarity dynamic, in the service of mobility and sobriety. By compensating drivers, they trigger this virtuous circle.
To note :
● Two Covoit’ici “community developers” will be permanently present in the field to promote the service and support users.
● The service is accessible from 14 years old. Parental consent is required for minors.
