SLO Regional Rideshare encouraged county residents to change the way they commute in October during Rideshare Month - Commute for Cash. The annual event wrapped to its highest participation yet, with over 1,000 commuters logging sustainable trips online at rideshare.org and saving $92,737 in commute costs. Advocates for the program and its mission, to reduce the number of single occupant vehicles on our roads, say numbers like these are indicative of more commuters realizing the benefits that walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling, riding the bus and working from home have on their health and their wallets.

It’s also easier than ever to take advantage of sustainable transportation options in our community. More than 45 vanpools currently operate in SLO County, new RTA bus routes were just added this summer, Google Transit allows commuters to plan their bus trip in advance online and bus passes are available for purchase at rideshare.org, where commuters will also find a carpool matching system. For cyclists, Bike Ed classes are made available through the SLO County Bicycle Coalition.

Getting Involved

Throughout Rideshare Month commuters were invited to ride any bus within the county free on Transit Tuesdays, get $20 towards their carpool gas tank on Carpool Wednesdays, try a vanpool for free on Vanpool Thursdays and fuel up at sponsored Bike Breakfasts and Bike Happy’s on Bike Fridays. Incentives to save money on commute costs were also offered in the form of daily prizes and $100 cash giveaways each week. Recognizing that times are tough, Rideshare hopes to make saving money, improving air quality and personal health easy by expanding opportunities for commuters to share the ride instead of driving solo.

Highlights of the data gathered from over 1,049 commuters at rideshare.org included the following:
• 15,392 trips made sustainably
• 620,713 total miles logged
• $92,797.00 saved on fuel
• 361,981 lbs. of greenhouse gases reduced

Planning for Our Future

Morgen Marshall, program manager for SLO Regional Rideshare, explains why it is so vital that SLO County commuters continue to log their trips at rideshare.org, even after Rideshare Month has come to a close.

“When you log your commute you are giving Rideshare and its transportation partners the ability to let public planners throughout SLO County know just how important it is that we continue to improve the availability of sustainable transportation options,” Marshall said. “We have to have numbers to back us up in these efforts, and commuters are our greatest advocates.”

Participants of Rideshare Month had great feedback to share, whether it was their first experience using sustainable transportation or they considered themselves a long-time user.

Alexandra Robin, who works at The Spice Hunter and recently started biking and riding the bus again after a three-year hiatus, expressed her thanks to Rideshare for getting her back into the habit.

“When gas was at its highest, I’d save $150 a month just for gas, not wear and tear, including the $40 [bus] pass. So, I started taking the 9/10 from Atascadero down to Suburban where I work,” she said. “Then, because it works with the bus schedule, I started riding my bike instead of the 10 so I could combine my trips with two five-mile bike rides a day.”

Robin added: “In the 1980s, I was an avid road rider and gave it up after having a son and life taking a few turns, and no longer had a bicycle.  At one time I owned four.  So I am back to my love of bicycling, committed to the bus and my wonderful community of ‘regulars’ on a routine basis.”

Small changes make a big difference and using sustainable transportation even one day per week can keep extra green in your wallet and preserve the green in our community. In addition, Rideshare continues to offer incentives every other week to commuters who log their trips at rideshare.org, thanks to a host of dedicated sponsors and support. There are a lot of alternatives to driving alone, and Rideshare encourages commuters to become educated about these options and determine the best alternative to their solo commute.

SPONSORS
Rideshare Month – Commute for Cash is made possible by generous sponsorship, prize donations and community support. The campaign is spearheaded by SLO Regional Rideshare, a division of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, and sponsored by the Air Pollution Control District, Ride-On Transportation, Enterprise Vanpool, VPSI, FunRide, the City of San Luis Obispo and Regional Transit Authority (RTA).

About San Luis Obispo Regional Rideshare
SLO Regional Rideshare is dedicated to reducing the number of single occupant vehicles on San Luis Obispo County’s roads and highways, conserving fuel, reducing air pollution and making it easier for commuters to get to work and school. A division of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, SLO Regional Rideshare provides programs for commuters, employers, youth, seniors and visitors. For more information about SLO Regional Rideshare, visit www.rideshare.org.