This organized hitchhiking system is free, and rides are unreserved.
Do you have an impromptu meeting but no way to get there? Try Rezo Pouce! Starting in September, this organized hitchhiking system, which complements existing transportation offers, is being deployed on the island of Ré.
How does it work?
48 stops (between four and six per commune) are materialized by a Rézo Pouce sign throughout the island. Located near bus stops to encourage intermodality, Rezo Pouce stops meet safety requirements (accessibility for pedestrians, visibility of hitchhikers by motorists, possibility for drivers to stop safely…)
Online or at City Hall, drivers interested in the scheme can register to obtain their membership card, a badge to place on the windshield and a sign to indicate their destination.
Passengers can also sign up so they can enter their location and travel needs on the dedicated mobile app, which drivers can then view.
Spontaneously
However, these steps are not mandatory. Any driver can open the door of his vehicle to hitchhikers. The latter do not necessarily have to be registered with Rézo Pouce to get on board. This formalism simply makes it possible to develop and secure a practice that meets a real mobility challenge.
In a rural area with structuring road facilities, Rezo Pouce is indeed an effective complement to existing transportation offers. And its advantages are numerous: the fight against car solicitude, a reduction in the number of vehicles on the roads, a vector for social ties… all within reach of a thumb!
