Carpooling

It is unusual for there ever to be scenario in which ‘everybody wins’ but having implemented a successful carpooling policy for some years now, we seem to have achieved it. Environmentally, one vehicle heading to site is markedly better than four. It is no secret that fuel prices are through the roof, and everyone is happy to cut commuting costs. As any Wellington homeowner will know, living on our city’s tight and winding suburban streets such as they are, it is very annoying when the builders show up with a fleet of vehicles and clog up all the parking. The benefits of carpooling are clear.

Why doesn’t everyone carpool all the time? Here is the argument against carpooling. 
Time is money in construction. It is time effective for a builder to swing into Mitre 10 on his way to site to pick up materials. That time effectiveness is lessened by having the whole squad brought along in a carpool. Multiple vehicles can be required at once at any given time. There may be rubbish to take to the tip, at the same time timber needs picking up, and the same time someone needs driven to the A&E department.

However, the mark of a good builder is organisation. And if environmental, financial and community loads can be lessened by carpooling, then we do not think it should be put into the too hard basket. It stands as another humble example of good, behind the scenes site management.

Furthermore, we have found that lengthy commutes in Wellington traffic actually have the unexpected benefit of being quite good for team bonding and discussing the day ahead. The less said about Damo’s music selection the better though.