Warringah candidate James Mathison takes part in GoCatch during peak hour across the northern beaches. Picture: Braden Fastier

The independent candidate for Warringah has been chauffeuring voters around Sydney using ride share service GoCatch to hear their thoughts ahead of the July 2 Federal Election.

“Cabbies and drivers often know as much about what is happening in the community as anyone, so I am sort of tapping into that idea,” he said.

The Frenchs Forest resident took the Manly Daily along on a peak-hour shift on Thursday.

It came after a difficult patch for the first-time campaigner, who this week copped criticism for not paying a makeup artist $400.

“That was such a misunderstanding,” he said.

He said he has settled the bill after initially not realising his payment had not gone through.

After an hour-long trip to Pyrmont with Freshwater resident Suzie Cardwell, Mr Mathison claimed his first confirmed voter.

James Mathison hits the streets. Picture: Braden FastierSource:News Corp Australia

“Oh my, you are James,” she said when she was greeted by her driver. “I am really glad you are running because I don’t want to vote for Tony Abbott.”

Mrs Cardwell said it was the “first time I have ever spoken to a candidate in my electorate”. “I have never been doorknocked, I have never been canvassed and I think that is because we get taken for granted,” she said.

His platform includes gender equality, better treatment of refugees, an upgrade of Brookvale Oval and a quick fix to transport woes.

“We have got one vote, by my reckoning, we only need another 26,999,” he said.

“Maybe it is not the most economical use of time but there is no other way to really get an understanding of what is important to people and get to know them.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing though when, like most cabbies, he took some wrong turns. Mr Mathison said he wanted Australia to use 100 per cent renewable energy in 20 years. “Really? That is a big call,” Mrs Caldwell said.

Mathison is hoping to snatch the Sydney seat of Warringah from current MP and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Picture: Troy SnookSource:News Corp Australia

He also spoke passionately about suicide prevention, which is the biggest killer of people under 45.

However, his methods had Mrs Cardwell raising an eyebrow in the beginning.

Suzie Cardwell and James Mathison talking traffic in the traffic.

He told her that he wanted to push for more funding towards “mindfulness and meditation”, rather than “spending $300 million on chaplaincy programs and the things that Abbott would like to see in schools”.

His passenger questioned whether it was appropriate for a school curriculum that was already stacked.

“It is like roll call, an effective program could have one day at the start of the term, and then it is five minutes before roll call,” he said.

One “first-world problem” Mrs Cardwell had was the “awful” state of Brookvale Oval. She said an upgrade “is something Tony Abbott has been promising for a really long time and he has promised it again, and I am not sure it will ever happen”.