In early September we went back to Bergen, Norway to meet some of our amazing Carma friends. We’ve been running a pilot there for the past 2 years so we’re no strangers to this gorgeous city surrounded by the stunning Seven Mountains. But what always amazes us most is its people.
We were once again struck by how socially conscious the people are, how they have a sense of moral obligation to safeguard the environment and do what they can to protect the resources for future generations. They are acutely aware that the oil and drilling industries provide them with good jobs and a very good standard of living. Some day the black gold will be depleted. Then what will their children do, or their children’s children?
When we asked people why they carpool, common answers included feeling bad about driving alone in a car, about being wasteful, and about contributing to congestion. This basically boils down to guilt. It comes across a bit like Catholic guilt, except this ‘environmental guilt’ is actually quite constructive! It compels people to get up and do something to help their environment.
Take Hanne for example. She decided to get up a few hours early one day and stand on a road leading into the business park to promote carpooling. This was a dull, drizzly day, and the yellow high-vis jacket she wore was less than flattering! But her warm smile and engaging nature coupled with breakfast and flyers for drivers sitting in traffic went down a treat. She was not alone. When Kristian heard what she was planning on doing, he happily joined her that rainy day because he felt guilty.
What Hanne and Kristian did was amazing, and so community-minded. This is just one example of the many uplifting and engaging activities happening in the Bergen community. People actually act on their ideas! “I will if you will” is a common turn of phrase here, where people don’t want to let others do all of the work because it makes them feel bad. Who knew that guilt could be so powerful!
It’s surprising how competitive people are and how this also drives Carma carpooling in Bergen. The Bergen pilot program now boasts 1000+ people from 9 companies in the airport’s business park. And whilst the main objective is to take cars off the road, they are having a bit of fun by competing against each other. “Which company has the most users”, “how many trips do they share each month”, and “who are the super-users” are questions these guys regularly ask themselves. People love to be good at something; they love to do well for themselves and for their company. There is great honor in that. Sometimes the best prize is simple recognition. People love to add value and be valued.
People in the field are our eyes and ears – Bergen’s Carmapoolers have been generous with their considered feedback, telling us what features they love and hate, what they want more or less of from our app and the Carma experience. They’ve already been on quite a journey with us. We can’t wait to see where it takes us in the future – let’s “get there together”.
Audrey @ Team Carma