Shoalhaven mayor Amanda Findley may well have devised a creative solution to the alarmingly high youth unemployment rate.
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“Wouldn’t it be great if we had a ride sharing app, a sort of free Uber, to help people get to work,” she said.
Considering transport’s a major barrier for young job seekers in the area, Cr Findley has challenged the state government to develop a mobile application that links commuters who are driving, with commuters who need a lift to work.
“How many times do I drive up and down the coast with no passengers in the car?” she said.
“I’d happily pick someone up and drop them at work on the way if I knew they needed a lift.”
To ensure the free ride sharing app is safe for all users, she has suggested a similar system to Uber that involves user-generated feedback.
Cr Findley said residents living between Callala Bay and Bawley Point were in drastic need of transport services.
She has urged the state government to provide a two-hourly bus service between Bawley Point and Nowra to ensure residents without their own car can hold down a job in the CBD.
She would like to see the pilot program implemented for five years.
“It has to happen,” Cr Findley said.
“There is a critical mass of people living in that area, they are essentially the poor cousins of the Shoalhaven when it comes to investment in public transport.”
Cr Findley raised the idea with Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro on his visit to Nowra a fortnight ago.