Carpooling up 800% over May long weekend as gas prices and inflation reach new highs

Poparide experiences record growth as people return to travelling after two years of pandemic amidst soaring gas prices and inflation.

May 26, 2022 – Vancouver, BC – Poparide, Canada’s leading city-to-city carpooling platform, today announced an 800% year-over-year increase in carpooling over the May long weekend, signalling a strong return to its pre-pandemic growth.

After travel restrictions flattened revenues in early 2020, the company is experiencing a resurgence in carpooling as gas prices exceed two dollars per litre and inflation reaches a new 31–year high.

“The rising cost of gas, food and shelter is pushing Canadians to their limits, and as a result more people are turning to carpooling to reduce their costs,” says Flo Devellennes, CEO and co-founder of Poparide.

Since January, an unprecedented 60,000 new members have joined Poparide resulting in a 25% month-over-month revenue increase with the strongest growth generated in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. 

“Now that Covid restrictions have been lifted and more people are returning to the office, high gas prices and inflation are driving demand for carpooling on long distance commuter routes, such as Waterloo-Toronto, Canmore-Calgary, and Squamish-Vancouver,” Devellennes added. “Drivers can cover up to 100% of their gas costs on some routes by sharing the cost of travel, which means there is a huge incentive to fill their empty seats.”

Magalie, a Poparide member who has driven over 1,200 passengers on her commute between Squamish and Vancouver, says, “I commute 180 kilometres per day and gas prices are now higher than ever. Driving on Poparide has made a significant difference to my budget as I can share the cost with other people heading the same way.” 

Poparide is preparing to expand its team in order to meet this boom in demand from Canadians.

About Poparide

Poparide is Canada’s city-to-city carpooling platform that makes travel more social, affordable and sustainable. The company has helped 400,000 members share over 60 million kilometres and is dedicated to reducing our collective environmental impact with accessible travel solutions. Learn more at poparide.com and download the app on iPhone or Android. 

For media inquiries, please contact Joe Kitos at info@poparide.com.