Sharing a ride

Sharing a ride – Hitchhiking – Sharing cars 

Sharing a ride

is quite common in Austria. Often commuters form car pools for their daily way to work. It’s also popular with students who go back to their hometowns on weekends. But also if you’re planning a further away trip this might be a good option. You can catch a ride by browsing one of the Austrian ride sharing internet platforms (see Related links). Some drivers expect a contribution to petrol costs, some don’t – that’s more or less open to negotiation. 

Generally speaking ride sharing is a safe thing to do, but as long as you don’t have actually met the driver in person, some risk remains. Keep the following tips in mind to reduce the risk to a minimum:

– Always talk to the driver on the phone at least once before the trip. Call him/her to make sure that the given phone number is correct.
– Tell a friend or a family member when and where to you’re getting a lift.
– Meet at a busy place like a petrol station.
– Trust your instincts. If you have a strange feeling about a driver when you meet him/her, just don’t get into the car.

Hitchhiking

is not very common in Austria, so you might have to wait for quite a (long) while till someone gives you a lift. It is forbidden at motorways and expressways (dual carriageways). In Carinthia and Vorarlberg you have to be at least 14 years old, in Styria at least 15.

Hitchhiking is cheap and you can meet very interesting people – still it’s a quite risky business. Keep the following tips in mind to stay safe:

– Preferably don’t hitchhike alone (especially girls!).
– Although signboards telling your destination are popular and may be helpful, it’s wiser to first ask where the driver’s going to.
– Avoid hitchhiking after dark.
– Write down the licence number before you get on a car.
– Only put your luggage in the trunk when absolutely necessary.
– When sitting in the back, check for child-proof locks.
– Don’t get on a car with several men in it (especially girls!).

Sharing cars

Austrians love their cars, so car sharing is still not that popular. But recently people have started to rethink their relationships with cars a bit – after all cars cost a hell lot of money! Especially in the cities where you don’t necessarily need a car to get around, there are quite a few initiatives of either friends or like-minded people using together one car. Mostly these initiatives are private, thus you’d only get to know them from hearsay. So far there is only one commercial enterprise offering car sharing in Austria (see Related links).