Bay Area Finds Novel Way to Save Money on Gas

OAKLAND, Calif., March 1 -- The 511 Regional Rideshare Program, the free Web and phone service that helps match commuters for carpools and vanpools, is again offering gas and Safeway gift cards to solo commuters who switch to carpooling. The Rideshare Rewards Spring 2007 campaign kicks off March 1. 511 Rideshare Project Manager Tad Widby says the program is "a great way to beat the perfect storm of traffic congestion, high gas prices and global warming."

The campaign awards new carpoolers ten dollars in gas or Safeway gift cards for every five days they carpool, up to one-hundred dollars. One lucky participant who carpools at least 40 days during the rewards period will win a one-thousand dollar prize. Safeway is the corporate sponsor for Rideshare Rewards.

511 Rideshare launched its pilot Rideshare Rewards in May 2006 and is expanding the rewards program for the 2007 campaign. In addition to gas and Safeway cards, participants will earn chances to "Spin the Wheel" for weekly prizes. Participants in the 2006 pilot program may also earn weekly prizes, as long as they're still carpooling at least once a week. Premium gifts include Peet's Coffee & Tea drinks. The grand prize is a GLOBE City Bicycle from Specialized in Morgan Hill.

Businesses are thinking green, and several local companies are urging greater support for the Rideshare Rewards program. In the Bay Area, about 40 percent of all greenhouses gases that cause global warming come from personal vehicles.

"Rideshare Rewards offers a regional response to the global challenge of greenhouse gas emissions," said Silicon Valley Leadership Group president and CEO Carl Guardino. "Change doesn't happen on a global scale without committed communities and individual initiatives like this one, and we urge every Bay Area employer and employee to participate."

Carpool lanes also play a big role in easing congestion, a fact not lost on state planning agencies. The California Transportation Commission has just recommended allocating funds to expand the region's carpool lane network. But Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto says it's not enough to mitigate traffic jams.

"In the last few years, traffic congestion has skyrocketed and commute gridlock is the norm," said Mayor Kishimoto. "Carpool lanes are one solution. But we all need to do our part and cut back, even if just a few car trips a week."

Employees at LifeScan, Inc., a leading maker of blood glucose monitoring products based in Milpitas, are doing just that. 14 employees took part in the Rideshare Rewards pilot program, helping the company reduce its own carbon footprint.

At Sunnyvale-based Juniper Networks, "carpooling makes good business sense," according to Brad Minnis, director of Environmental Health Safety and Security. "With obvious environmental benefits such as helping to decongest roads, reduce pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions, the more employees carpool, the bigger the savings for everyone. Employees save on gas and vehicle wear and tear, and we save on land and parking lot maintenance."

In the past five years, Stanford University has upped its carpool membership by 60 percent, with more than 2,000 employees sharing rides. Transportation Director Brodie Hamilton says that's due "in no small measure" to the 511 Rideshare program.

Nearly 600 commuters completed the Rideshare Rewards program last year, an approximate reduction of 1,663,000 pounds in greenhouse-gas emissions, based on an average roundtrip commute of 30 miles and a carpool rate of about four days a week. That estimate comes from the new 511 Rideshare emissions calculator, a tool available to companies eager to measure the results of their greenhouse gas emissions-reduction programs.

Meanwhile, Widby reports the number of commuters willing to carpool continues to climb. Registration for ridesharing in 2006 was up 34 percent compared to 2005. "It's a steady trend," said Widby. He expects Rideshare Rewards to spark greater interest. "Our rewards program offers two of the top features preferred by carpoolers: money saved on gas and financial subsidies."

Solo commuters who want to earn rewards by carpooling can go to the Rideshare page at 511.org and click "Rideshare Rewards," or call 511 and say "Rideshare" to speak with a commuter consultant.