UNSW's Kensington campus is well-served by bus, but for students coming from the Northern Beaches, the outer south, or Western Sydney, the journey involves multiple connections and often unreliable timing. Parking near campus in the surrounding streets has become increasingly restricted, and on-campus parking is limited and expensive.
Carpooling via Herdy addresses both problems. As a passenger, you get a direct ride from your suburb to campus without transfers — typically faster than bus and more comfortable. As a driver, you share the cost of a trip you were already making, effectively eliminating the per-day cost of commuting.
The Bilgola Plateau to Eastern Suburbs corridor is Herdy's most active UNSW-adjacent route, with 38 rides in the last two months. This reflects a broader pattern: students and workers from the Northern Beaches who commute south to the Eastern Suburbs and inner city are increasingly using Herdy to share that journey.
Beyond the practical, there's a social dimension to carpooling that's easy to underestimate. University is where many people form the professional and personal networks that shape the next decade of their lives. The commute — 20 to 30 minutes each way, several times a week, with the same person — is an unusually good environment for that kind of connection to develop. By the end of semester, your carpool partner is not a stranger. They're someone you've spoken to more regularly than most of your tutorial classmates.
Herdy is free to download. Set your suburb, see who's going your way, and join a ride. If no one is posting from your suburb yet, set a ride alert — you'll be notified the moment someone does.
