University students in Sydney face some of the highest commuting costs of any demographic. Student concession fares help on public transport, but for students commuting from outer suburbs — particularly the Northern Beaches, which has no train connection — the combination of bus unreliability, long journey times, and the cost of running a car makes the daily commute a genuine financial burden.
Carpooling via Herdy is a practical solution that works specifically well for students. University timetables are semi-predictable — you know which days you're on campus, you know roughly what time you need to arrive, and that routine makes it easy to build a regular carpooling arrangement with someone from your suburb making the same trip.
The data from Herdy's platform backs this up. The Dee Why to North Ryde corridor — a direct route from the Northern Beaches to Macquarie University — has 43 active rides. The Ermington to Macquarie Park corridor has 64. These aren't aspirational numbers. These are real drivers already making the trip and offering seats to students heading the same way.
For drivers, posting your campus commute on Herdy is straightforward. You're already making the trip — the only difference is that instead of paying for petrol alone, you recover a share of running costs from a fellow student who would otherwise be taking the bus. For passengers without a car, Herdy offers door-to-campus convenience that no bus route can match, at a cost that's often comparable to a multi-zone concession fare.
Herdy is free to download. The first thing you see when you open the app is rides already happening near you — no search required. If your campus isn't covered yet, set a ride alert and Herdy will notify you as soon as a matching driver posts a ride.
