Join UCD's carpooling community to help others during Covid-19
This is an excellent opportunity to get to know our community and help during this time.
1. Download the Faxi app and register an account with your UCD email address
2. Input an address that is close by such as a local road or supermarket.3.In your account settings select ‘Driver’.
3.In your account settings select ‘Driver’.
Account > Mode of Transport > Driver
4. Update your account community status stating what kind of help you are able to offer and the details of when you are available.
Account > Community> University College Dublin > Status
(e.g. “I am a cyclist able to help out with groceries or medicines between the hours of 5 pm and 8 pm.”).
1. Download the Faxi app and register an account with your UCD email address
2. Input an address that is close by such as a local road or supermarket.3. In your account settings select ‘Passenger’ if you are in need of help
3. In your account settings select ‘Passenger’ if you are in need of help
Account > Mode of Transport > Passenger
4. Search for Volunteers in your area by tapping ‘People’ on the bottom of the screen, use two fingers to enlarge your area on the map.
Tap on the icons that are closest to your area.5. Tap the ‘Message’ box.
Use the applications messaging service to contact a volunteer / check for messages from volunteers who may have contacted you.
Use the applications messaging service to contact a volunteer / check for messages from volunteers who may have contacted you.
CONTEXT
Following the 2019 Annual Commuting Survey, UCD Estate Services and the UCD Smarter Travel Group teamed up with Faxi, a carpooling app provider to create an online car pooling platform for UCD staff and students.
Mark d’Alton, Chair of the UCD Smarter Travel Group, said: “Just before the coronavirus outbreak, we had signed up to Faxi carpooling to tackle the environmental impact of commuter journeys and also to assist staff and students with the limited number of parking spaces on campus. The aim was to launch the App to our community during the Spring/Summer term to encourage people to journey share to the campus rather than travel individually. But with a community of students and employees in lockdown, many of whom are from overseas and are therefore even more alone at this difficult time, Faxi helped us see that there was a more immediate use we could make of the tool.
Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reorientation of many core University activities including teaching and research to online forums, the carpooling service is not permitted under the current Government advice.
Going live today, Faxi will give those members of the UCD community who are vulnerable or self-isolating the ability to see the locations for the numerous other members of our community who have indicated they are willing to volunteer. This will enable the volunteers to provide support such as picking up prescriptions and delivering essential groceries, as may be needed.
This is an excellent opportunity to get to know our community and help during this time.
This application provides a platform for volunteers to grocery shop and help out for others who cannot leave their homes.
UCD has teamed up with Faxi,
a mobile phone application, to create an online volunteering platform for UCD Staff and Students.
Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
FAQs
FAXI is a smartphone app and online platform which enables people in communities to identify each other and easily arrange to share journeys.
Faxi’s map design with real-time location and traffic information, allows people to share regular journeys, by car, public transport, bike or on foot.
This is for members of the UCD Community and only members with valid @ucdconnect and @ucd emails can sign up.
This is a Community Outreach Project to address local level needs of people affected by Covid-19. You can also visit the website of Volunteer Ireland for more volunteer advice and guidance – www.volunteer.ie.
People in the community must be directed to reliable public health information, as provided by www.hse.ie and their own GP. Additionally information relating to Covid-19 in UCD can be found in this page.
Self-isolating means staying in doors and keeping out of contact with other people. You can only come out of self-isolation after 14 days. Speak to your GP over the phone for advice on testing and self-isolation. Further information is available here: www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/
For further advice on how to protect yourself and others from the Coronavirus, please visit the information pages of the HSE.
This UCD initiative is being supported by Smarter Travel