Greater Sudbury rolls out new matchmaking app for commuting

Commuters in Sudbury, Ont.can now access an app that lets them hitch a ride with others going the same direction.

The Smart Commute app is the city's latest push to give people more ways to move around.

"Is everyone going in the same direction? If so, then what does it do for our community," said Mark Signoretti, Sudbury's Ward 1 councillor.

"We hear from time to time that residents are finding it difficult for mobility issues to get from location to location. So if this app is able to provide that service that fills that gap, I think it's it would be a great initiative," he said.

Pairing commuters

Users can download the Smart Commute app for free before filling out information about their travelling habits.

The app also logs favourite modes of transportation, schedules for travellingand point A toB destinations.

Commuters can use the app to match with others going the same direction around Sudbury and either request a carpool ride or buddy up for walking, cycling or public transit.

"It's fairly intuitiveand provides options to really get around our city that could also support the communities," said Mike Parent, Ward 5 councillor.

Councillors tell CBC News more Smart Commute users could also save the city traffic, tax dollars and carbon emissions.

A 'mid-sized city approach'

Sudbury is also the first city in northern Ontario to implement the system and it came with help from other regions such asthe Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA) including York Region, City of Hamilton and City of Toronto.

According to the Peter Topalovic, manager of active transportation and mobility for City of Hamilton, Sudbury's growing infrastructure caught the interest of the Smart Commute network.

The Smart Commute group, made up of southern Ontario's major cities, added Sudbury as a regional partner and helped develop the app.

"So Sudbury being a little bit farther from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), we're going to learn their mid-sized city approach," Topalovic said.

"When we're working with partners like Sudbury, we're all working to those same goals and asking each other how can we do this in the most cost effective way possible," he said.

"People deserve access to reliable transportation anytime that they need it," said Cody Ruberto, founder and CEO of Uridewhich provides ride sharing services across northern Ontario.

Ruberto says his biggest concern for Smart Commute is having users match others without background checks.

"Checking the person's driving record, making sure that there's some insurance in place to ensure that whoever you're getting a ridewith is safe, and that if anything happens, that you're covered from an insurance standpoint," he said.

The app is free to download for iOS and Android users and provides coverage for Sudbury, Hamilton and Toronto.

Parentsaid he hopes the app will provide more transportation options to Sudbury's surrounding areas up northincluding Blezard Valley, Rayside-Balfour and Hanmer.

"Sudbury is the unofficial capital of Northern Ontarioand I think we should be the first of it's to kind of lead the way with this," he said.

"We can connect more of the city."