Commuting safely with Parizzo.

As we know, our life has changed because of COVID-19 , but how will commuting in a busy city like Lagos look as we start to go back to the workplace with or without a vaccine. 

The problem with public transport is that there are many people in poorly ventilated buses and everyone is often seated tightly packed in the danfo. This can invite the spread of different types of diseases, including COVID-19. This problem is worsened by people who refuse to wear masks even though it is scientifically regarded as a valid protection against the virus’s spread. 

The dilemma is whether to take the risk and put up with it, or convince your fellow commuters to wear a mask. In a danfo with at least 12-15 people, this is perhaps a futile endeavour. Even if you succeed, sitting so tightly packed will probably eliminate any advantage of wearing masks. 

Fortunately, there are alternative options while commuting during COVID. Your car is the safest and most convenient option, but the downside is increased fuel costs, which could significantly increase your expenses. It is also likely that you do not own a car. The good news is that there is a solution to this. You can still commute safely and affordably during Covid. 

By carpooling with Parizzo, there is increased safety as you make your daily trips to work and back home. Parizzo connects Car owners and Passengers along the same route allowing them to commute safely. 

As the number of passengers is limited to a maximum of three, passengers maintain an appropriate distance. Passengers can also decide to leave the windows open to allow for more airflow or regulate the intervals at which this can be done. 

Additionally, contact tracing is easier with carpooling. Best of all, riding with Parizzo is affordable because passengers split the cost of the trip. 

Commute safely, book your trip with Parizzo today. 

Register as a Car owner here

Register as a Passenger here

Even though employers are beginning to lean heavily towards working from home and offering flexible schedules, commuting to work isn’t about to go away for a long time to come.

And while some of us have shorter commutes, others aren’t lucky; as they have to travel to their places of work. And let’s be truthful: most career professionals spend a huge chunk of their time commuting to and from work daily; which isn’t a pleasant experience.

No matter your method of commute (bus, car, motorcycle, taxi, Parizzo carpooling/ridesharing); we’ve curated some useful tips on how to make your commute more productive.

1. Plan your day

If you are not a car owner, you can spend the time commuting to work by mapping out your day. Here’s how to do it: Make a to-do list of the tasks you want to accomplish at work via your Evernote app or phone’s note app and arrange them from the order of importance.

“Creating a to-do list helps you organize your day by breaking down comprehensive tasks into small and manageable ones. It also helps you prioritize your tasks based on the level of urgency and allows you to dedicate your time and energy to complete them,” says Christabel Ikpen, Parizzo’s Support Analyst & Admin Officer.

2. Read a book

Whether you are reading a romance novel, motivational autobiography, self-help book or even something on science and tech, reading helps commuters to reduce stress and learn something new.  “Not only does it stimulate your mind and improve your productivity, but it also strengthens your writing skills and expands your vocabulary,” says Christabel.

Additionally, if you are not an avid book reader or someone who gets bored easily or even has fears over completing a book, you could finish reading a book while on a commute daily. If you read about 15 to 20 pages daily during commute for a month, you’d be surprised to see that you’ve finished reading the book you dreaded reading in the first place,” adds Christabel.

3. Listen to a podcast

Not a fan of books or written materials? You can listen to podcasts. Podcasts are highly educational and motivational and can give you the surge of inspiration you need to perform effectively at work daily. The good news is that whether you are carpooling as a driver or commuting as a passenger, you can easily listen to a podcast via your car’s stereo or mobile device.

4. Learn something new via an online class

There’s something new to learn every day. And thanks to platforms such as Alison, SkillShare, Udemy, Coursera and FutureLearn, you can learn something new every day; especially if you live a hectic life and cannot dedicate some time to update your skills.

Use the commute to improve your knowledge and gain the upper hand in your career or industry. There are also tons of online class types to choose from; ranging from audio to words and videos – which you can learn while commuting.

5. Get some sleep

Unproductivity, fatigue and stress at work might be a result of lack of enough sleep. If you feel tired, you can take a power nap during your commute. This makes you feel recharged and boosts your productivity levels at work. Please note that sleeping is only recommended for passengers and not those who drive to work.

Summarily, our lives are increasingly becoming busy, and it becomes difficult to set special times to engage in activities that boost our productivity and makes us better at work. Use the tips above to make your commute to work something you look forward to daily.

Image credit: Money Magpie

Do you have a car? Why not put it to use and make extra money from it. After all, some people are willing to pay you in exchange for your car services.

If you are a car owner in Lagos or Nigeria who has been thinking of different side hustles to engage in, we’ve specially curated the top seven, legitimate ways using your car can fetch you extra money.

Please note that the options you pick depend on certain variables such as your location, the age and condition of your car, personal preferences, nearness to business districts, etc.

1. Become a ridesharer on Parizzo

Ridesharing is one of the easiest, hassle-free and simplest ways to make money with your car. All you have to do is download the Parizzo Car Owner App, sign up on the platform and offer your vacant car seats to verified passengers going your way.

You seamlessly get paid 80% of the trip cost and you can easily withdraw your funds from the wallet in your app immediately. It’s that easy. While there are buses, taxis, tricycles and motorcycles to take people from point A to B, some passengers prefer to use Parizzo because of the comfort and the privacy it affords.

2. Child Pick-up Services

Not every parent wants their children picked up from school by their contracted tricycle riders, school buses or motorcyclists. And parents with extremely busy schedules may need your services to help them pick up their children from school, rehearsals and other locations and pay you for your services as long as your daily commute pattern and those of their children match.

3. Equipment transportation service

Many people in Lagos visit busy business districts daily. Fortunately, they need a car owner like you to help them transport their items to a particular location. All you need is to have a car, and match with this category of passengers on the Parizzo platform.

4. Car courier services

People want tons of items delivered from one location to another. And this is one car business idea we suggest that you consider. For starters, you can start a car courier service with your vehicle by reaching out to potential customers (think Instagram and other social media vendors, wholesalers, MSMEs, private individuals and even physical store owners) and help them deliver their goods and any other items to their customers and start making some cool money.

5. Moving/Relocation services

Not a day goes by that people do not move from one location within Lagos, into Lagos, outside Lagos, or even other parts of Nigeria. If you have a large vehicle, you can help people move their belongings and household items and get paid for your services.

6. Airport shuttle services

Pandemic or not, visitors from other countries and even Nigerians returning from international trips need your services as a car provider to take them from the airport to their hotels or any other destination they have in mind. It’s a great way to make some cool cash, and quickly.

7. Car rental services

Car rental services are great for car owners who do not always drive their cars around. If you have a car you do not use often, you can consider renting it out for a day or two to people who need your car.

However, before considering this, we strongly suggest that you have a paid insurance package that fully covers costs, especially in situations such as theft, accidents or damages.

While this list isn’t exhaustive, we hope you get the drift. It’s possible to make extra money in Nigeria. All you need is to have a car and you are good to go!

Image credit: DIY Network

With the pandemic still out and no chance of knowing when people would return to the former way of living, it’s essential, now more than ever, that Parizzo car owners ensure that their cars are as clean as possible.

And while there are tons of car washing outlets in Lagos, it won’t hurt to keep your cars sparkling and germ-free, especially if you look at certain factors such as your budget or nearness of the car washes to you.

With that in mind, here are ten safety tips to know when cleaning your cars from home with household disinfectants;

1. Always wear a pair of disposable or dishwashing gloves and a face mask before you begin the process.

2. If you use a face mask, ensure you wash or disinfect your hands before touching it to avoid contamination. While at it, make sure the face mask covers your mouth and nose adequately.

3. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 25 seconds immediately after you clean your car. Washing your hands with soap will get rid of any contamination or germs your hands might have picked up from your car’s surfaces. If soap and water aren’t readily available, use a hand sanitiser with a minimum level of 60% alcohol.

4. Before cleaning your car, open the doors to ensure proper ventilation.

5. To achieve a thorough clean, remove the floor mats and vacuum them.

6. While your car is airing, we recommend that you vacuum the car seats and floors too.

7. The next step is to get your cleaning cloth, moisten it with household disinfectants such as soap and warm water or household detergents and begin to wipe.

8. After your car’s surfaces have been thoroughly cleaned and aired, return the floor mats into the car and close the doors.

9. Don’t forget to disinfect your car keys, especially if you share them with someone else. You don’t want to bring germs into your home.

10. Wash your cleaning cloth thoroughly and spread it in a clean environment to dry.

List of items to pack when you need to clean your car

For your protection, we recommend the following:

1. A pair of disposable gloves.
2. An apron (if you have one). If you don’t, you could don an old cloth that is disposable.
3. A face mask that thoroughly covers your mouth and nose.
4. A pair of safety goggles.
5. A cleaning cloth to wipe your car.

Here’s a list of areas to clean when cleaning your car:

1. Driver area
2. Car keys
3. Power button
4. Steering wheel
5. Gearstick
6. Accelerator and brake
7. Dashboard
8. Car windscreen.
9. The front of the car:
10. Storage areas
11. Heating controls
12. Radio controls and screens
13. Inner parts of the windscreen.
14. Glove box compartment
15. Cup holders
16. Seats, doors & lights
17. All seats and headrests (both drivers and passengers)
18. Grab handles
19. Interior lights
20. Door handles, locks and window controls
21. Seat belts and buckles
22. The back of the car (Boot)
23. Boot opener
24. Buttons and handles in the boot
25. Items in the boot

Other preventive methods we recommend that you take

1. Be careful about the household cleaning products you use, as some could cause lasting damage to certain parts of your car.
2. Use soapy water for leather seats and steering wheels.
3. Do not excessively scrub when cleaning the interior of your car. Avoid excess soap suds as well.
4. Do not disinfect your car with solutions containing bleach or hydrogen peroxide.
5. Finally, always remember to check the instructions on disinfectants or household cleaning items to ensure their usage of car seats, plastics, touch screens or even paintworks.

A clean car improves the Parizzo carpooling experience for you and your co-riders. You can offer carpool rides to verified Parizzo Passengers on your route by registering on the Parizzo Car Owners App here.

Registration is online and it takes less than 30 minutes to be verified.

Depending on only a salary to make ends meet, saving or increasing wealth is perhaps not an excellent way to live. At least not in Lagos.

Although having a side hustle is a great idea, it is often difficult to juggle a business and a full-time job. Another alternative is learning a skill. However, learning a skill requires financial and time investment.

There is a new way to earn money without additional commitment and investment. With Parizzo, verified Car owners can carpool with verified Passengers whose timing, origin and destination are similar.

Passengers request to join a carpool ride through the app, and our carpooling algorithm matches them with Car owners who are willing to carpool on their route.

Car owners offer their vacant car seats through the app, and our carpooling algorithm matches them with passengers who are willing to carpool on their route.

As commuting to the workplace is a daily affair, Car owners enjoy attractive dividends from this side hustle without an additional workload. Passengers are along their route, and there are no additional costs in time or money by picking them. What better way to double their hustle?

Our additional verification security features ensure everyone on the platform are verified. There is an assurance of safe commuting to and from the office daily.

Besides, our cashless policy means payment is seamless. Car owners can easily withdraw their earned money from their wallet.

Becoming a Car owner is quick and seamless. We only require registration that takes only a few minutes to complete. Our team is available to answer questions and assist in completing the registration process.

Enjoy the feeling of a community and earn money from commuting to work.

Register as a Car owner here
Register as a Passenger here

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We know how the euphoria of getting a job, quickly fades away a few days after experiencing the harsh transportation system in our congested cities.

To make sure working professionals continue to find meaning in their work, we have introduced a convenient carpooling/ridesharing system for easy commuting to and from work.

As a passenger looking to join a rideshare/carpool, you log into the parizzo app, set your preferred time and route and search for available carpool/rideshare ride on your way.

Parizzo will match you with other working professionals (co-workers or neighbours) with the same timing and route details so you can enjoy a more comfortable commute to and from work daily.

As a car owner looking for ways to minimize your fuel costs and car maintenance cost, log into the parizzo app, register your car, set your preferred time and route and search for passengers (co-workers or neighbours) willing to join a carpool on your way.

Parizzo will match you with up to three other working professionals with the same timing and route details.
Now you can cover your fuel and car maintenance cost by earning money from your empty car seats while driving to work and back daily.

As a Parizzo carpooler, you get to join our vibrant and ever-growing community, interact with other carpoolers, network and share ideas on both carpooling and work-related issues.
With this system we have painstakingly built, you are sure to only share rides with verified users that have a noble desire to reduce the stress in commuting and make it greener by carpooling/ridesharing to and from work daily.

Register here to join our community of verified professionals.