FAQs
Who can use SmartRide?
This website and app are available for use by all residents in the Halifax region.
What are the benefits of carpooling?
Carpooling lets you share the cost of driving; it provides you with company for your commute and saves you money. It is often the perfect solution for commuters located far from their workplace or without access to transit service. In some families, carpooling to work avoids the need for a second car.
What are the benefits of finding a walking, cycling, or transit buddy?
Finding a buddy provides company and confidence if you are trying a new mode of transportation. For cycling especially, finding a buddy helps you build confidence and provides power in numbers as you ride to your destination. For transit, riding with a buddy can ensure you get off at the right stop, and navigate paying and transferring correctly if you’re new to using the bus or ferry.
Is there a charge to use SmartRide?
No, SmartRide is free to download and use.
How does SmartRide work?
SmartRide uses state-of-the-art geocoding technology to search for matches along a route from your origin to your destination, and offers extensive user-controlled search defining abilities. It defaults to searches within employer groups and maximizes accessibility and usability for users.
How do I create an account?
Registering with SmartRide is fast, easy and simple.
Follow these easy steps for first time users:
- Click on ‘Register as a new user’
- Enter your work email address and select a personal password
NOTE: By entering your work email address you will enable the system to search for compatible travel partners within your employer group. You will still have the option to search for travel partners outside of your employer group.
- Enter your personal profile information: gender, driver or passenger preference, etc. We ask for this information to help users refine their travelling partner preferences.
- Enter your address information: Home address, Travelling origin address (if different from your home address), Destination address.
The system will confirm your origin and destination on a map. The system may correct an incorrect postal code if the one you entered doesn’t correspond with Canada Post’s data. (Some work postal codes correspond to a central mailing system rather than the actual address of the building, so the system will ‘correct’ your entry to correspond to the actual physical address of the location you entered.)
- If the system doesn’t recognize the address, you will be able to select your location on a clickable map. Drag your cursor across the screen to move the map or zoom in/out with the “+” or “-“ buttons.
- Define your travel schedule.
- Select ‘Search for matches”
The system will return a match list of potential travel partners, based on your defined search criteria. You may modify or change any of this data to narrow down your search.
- To contact a person from your match list, select “email this person”. The email is sent from you to the contact directly from the SmartRide system. The contact is then able to reply directly to you.
Why do you recommend that I use my work email address?
All email addresses require confirmation before the system enables you to search for travel partners. Often people searching for travel partners are most comfortable searching within their own employer. Email verification will be used to ensure that people who want to search within their own employer group are doing so with validated registrants.
Why can’t I search for travel partners immediately upon registering?
Before you are permitted to search for travel partners, the system will send an email to validate the email address you entered. When you receive the email, you need to click on the activation link to enable the search feature.
How does SmartRide find travel partner matches?
SmartRide is one of the most advanced ridematching systems in existence today. Your origin and destination are geocoded to a corresponding latitude and longitude coordinate. A ‘route’ from your origin to your workplace is evaluated. The system will match within a user-defined distance from your origin, destination and along your route
What if I don’t want other people to ‘find’ me in searches because I’ve found a travel partner or I’m not able to be a travel partner right now?
You can update your Personal Profile by unchecking the “I am actively looking for a commute partner” button.
Is my information private and safe?
Yes. Your data is securely stored using the same technologies that online banking and major online merchants utilize. No information provided during registration will be provided to any external agency at any time. For monitoring purposes aggregate data only will be used to evaluate and assess the ridematching system.
What about car insurance?
Personal or corporate vehicle insurance is dependent upon your policy. It is strongly recommended that you check with your insurance provider prior to initiating any carpool. SmartRide assumes no responsibility for insurance issues.
What if I only want to match with people from my workplace?
If you register using your work email address and leave the button checked that says “search only within my employer,” the default settings of the system will search only within your own employer. If you uncheck this box, you will be matched with everyone in the system that is looking for a travel partner outside of their own specific employer.
I registered using my personal email address, but now I want to match within my employer, is this possible?
Yes. Simply click on the “Change UserID and Password” button and modify your UserID to your work email address. You will immediately receive an email which will ask you to click on a provided link to confirm your modified email address is functional. You will also receive another email which will contain your UserID and Password. Please save this email for future reference.
I forgot my UserID. What can I do?
Remember that your UserID is also your email address.
I forgot my Password. What can I do?
On the login page, simply click on the link “I forgot my password.” Enter your email address and the password which corresponds to that email address will be immediately mailed out.
I work two different jobs in different locations. What can I do?
If you have two email addresses, then you can create two different accounts with different address profiles. You can also save multiple trips in your “My Trips” tab.
What if I don’t find a match?
Try adjusting your search settings. The default setting searches within 2 kilometers from where you live, travel to, or 2 kilometers along your route. You can expand or reduce these search distances as necessary. If you still don’t find a match, try searching again in a week or two. It takes a while to build up registrants in the database so don’t give up if you’re not immediately successful.
Will encouraging carpooling reduce transit use?
SmartRide is all about improving the travel options for commuters. Typically, carpoolers are those whose origin, destination or working hours are not conducive to using transit. There have been no known studies that demonstrate a correlation between a ridematching system and reduced transit use. SmartRide also allows you to find walking, cycling, or transit buddies, encouraging travel by more than one mode.
How do I get help if I’m having technical problems?
If you're experiencing any problems, click to email technical support.
Who do I contact if I have comments or general questions?
Click on the comments link at the bottom of the page to get in touch.