Commuter Services helps commuters find carpool partners through our Commute PA program and provides advice on successful carpooling (including “Meet Your Match” days at some employer sites). Even carpooling with just one other person could cut your costs in half. If you carpool and track your trips in Commute PA at least twice per week, you would be eligible for the Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program.
Advantages:
- Saving money on the commute
- Less stressful commuting
- Saving money on parking
- More free time for riders to read and relax
- Reducing pollution from vehicle emissions
- Driving less may decrease your auto insurance rates
Choose how your carpool will operate:
- One person may drive all the time, while the passengers contribute only to gas and parking.
- Participants may take turns driving and not exchange money.
- The carpool driver may pick up passengers at their homes, or they may meet at a central location like a park-and-ride lot.
Get Started Now!
Join Commute PA to find a carpool partner. Once you’ve enrolled & completed your Account Profile, go to Find Rides, enter your information and if there are matches for your commute, then click on a pinpoint to view more information & click Contact to reach out regarding forming a carpool. Already carpooling? Be sure to track your carpool trips and earn points to redeem for exciting rewards!
10 Tips to Successful Carpooling:
- Determine Your Route and Schedule. Establish the morning pickup point(s) and designate a place(s) to meet for the trip home.
- Draw Up a Schedule for Driving Responsibilities. If all members of your carpool alternate driving, decide among yourselves if you want to alternate on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
- Establish a Method for Reimbursing Driving Expenses. If the members of your carpool do not share the driving equally, come to an understanding of how the costs will be shared and agree on payment dates.
- Be Punctual. Decide how long the driver is expected to wait.
- Establish Policies. Smoking or non-smoking? Music and volume? Food or drinks? Your carpool will have a better chance of success if potential differences are avoided before you drive off.
- Make Carpooling Serve One Purpose. If it is for commuting to and from work: don’t let it become a shopping or errand service.
- Establish a Chain of Communication. If a driver is ill, or will not be going to work one day, determine how the alternate driver should be notified to ensure that other carpool members have a ride or make other arrangements.
- Drive Carefully and Keep the Vehicle in Good Repair. Keep the vehicle clean and safe. Drive safely. Obey the traffic laws.
- Respect Your Fellow Carpooler’s Wishes. For example, many people like more quiet during the morning drive.
What if I Need to Get Home for an Emergency?
Commuter Services of PA offers the Emergency Ride Home (ERH) Program to provide peace of mind for commuters using “green” commute modes, so they can be reimbursed if they need to find another ride home in the event of an illness or emergency. To be eligible you just need to be enrolled in Commute PA and tracking at least two “green” trips per week. Please visit the Emergency Ride Home page, for more information about eligibility and what qualifies!
