Rideshare (carpool & vanpool)
Use LinkedIn to be connectedPreface - The following discussion is taking place now on the LinkedIn Group -Partnership for Mobility Management. Join the Partnership to join the group. (Membership is free.) Join the group to be connected.
Dwight Mengel Ride-sharing Website Platforms: Is there a best choice?
Is there a clear front-runner in the world of ride-share matching websites? Our area, Binghamton NY, uses Broome-Tioga Greenride, but there is no way as of yet of integrating with users of other matching websites, such as Zimride in nearby Tompkins County.
511NY Rideshare is beginning to pilot their program upstate in Elmira and Steuben County, as of now it primarily serves the downstate area. This system could potentially connect users nationwide, which would increase it usefulness. Thoughts? Ella K. Mobility Manager Broome/Tioga BroomeTioga GreenRide broometioga.greenride.com Hi Ella,
You pose a timely question. On Friday (2/17), we were discussing this topic in a Tompkins Rideshare Consortium meeting. Our Zimride portal has nearly 10,000 users, the great majority are college students from three schools – Cornell Univ., Ithaca College & TC3 (community college). Yes, there are quite a few rideshare services out there. In many respects, rideshare is the great white whale of mobility management. The potential market and benefits are so great, we exert every effort to harpoon it, only for rideshare to elude our grasp once again. (Ok, so I’m writing this in a book store café.) In the five counties you mention, rideshare has a 10-12% modal split for commuting to work. That is the baseline to assess if rideshare programs are making progress. In the late 1970’s, ridesharing was up to 20+% modal split, without computer matches & iphones. So, why, other than students, is ridesharing generally unable to steadily gain mainstream acceptance? Clearly, people can save much money using car & van pools. With gas prices closing in on $4 (in Upstate NY), the saving money argument should be compelling & effective. But, by itself, it is not. (There are other LinkedIn groups to pose your question to: Real-Time Ridesharing and Re-Inventing Carpool Interest Group. Try them.) We looked at what people want to use ridesharing for - commuting to work, one time trips (between cities), going to events (festivals, sports), taking children to and from school (schoolpool), ridesharing within a person's individual network, linking rideshare with carshare to enable students to serve as volunteer drivers, and organizing shared ride taxi groups to get a reduced group price. Don't expect one service to do it all. I think any rideshare service needs to address three facets of decision-making – security, comfort and lastly, cost-savings. If you omit the first two, the pitch fails. Perception is reality. Security is really, really important. People need reassurance that they are not sharing rides with “strangers”, but acquaintances, at a minimum. Beyond personal security, people need reliable service. Being stranded, waiting for a driver, at a dark storefront, in the rain, is also a security issue. Comfort is also important. Cars are personal spaces and are often the extensions of the personality of the driver. People need to be comfortable with each other. Rideshare etiquette enters in here. Last, there’s money. Improving the money transfer between driver and riders is very useful. So, let me get back to your original question. Yes, there are multiple ridesharing services. They are usually not restricted by location. (You could use the Zimride/Tompkins to arrange rides anywhere in the US.) So, look at a rideshare program's ability to improve their service features and marketing. Is a service constantly evolving to enable individuals to address their security, comfort and money issues? It’s too soon to answer “What is the best service?” Competition is good. I'm skeptical of the adaptability of one-size-fits-all approach of some rideshare platforms. But, they are better than nothing in the meantime. As mobility managers, we need to look out for tools to improve ridesharing. Therefore, I’m interested in Avego’s “Shout” app for the iPhone. It provides vehicle & rider locations to facilitate pickups. Shout is a free app from iTunes store. It’s a tool any carpool could use. There is much work before we land this whale. |
A (Short) History of Ridesharing
This history of carpooling was published by Jef Coza, director of US operations for Amovens, an online carpooling platform. Amovens lets drivers sell their empty seats online to passengers looking for an affordable travel alternative. Examples of Rideshare MarketingBelow are examples of current marketing efforts for ridesharing in Tompkins County. Other submissions are welcomed.
Promoting Ridesharing in 2012 Idea #1 - Increasing New Members & Use
Recruiting new members and encouraging the use of ridesharing is an ongoing challenge. Here is an idea from our Way2Go's Get Your Greenback marketing campaign. The promotion will give away a new Apple iPad 2 to people signing up and positng trips on Zimride/Tompkins or become new Ithaca Carshare members. I will report how promotion turns out in February.
Dwight Mengel ----------------- Make it your goal to save a little green this year, both for your wallet and for the environment. Try out Zimride Tompkins and start carpooling with other Tompkins County residents. http://zimride.com/tompkins Plus, if you add a ride to Zimride, or sign up for Ithaca Carshare by January 31st using the promo code "New Years" (no quotes) on your application, you’ll be automatically entered to win an iPad 2! Start this year off on the right foot. Ring in the new year by sharing a ride with Zimride Tompkins. For more information, visit www.Way2Goinfo.org |
A Case for Ridesharing
Cynthia Kloppel, Mobility Program Specialist, Tompkins Dept of Social Services (607) 274-5022
Rideshare could have made the difference between keeping a paid apprenticeship and now being a job seeker for one young woman. I talked with the woman about her travel options and the opportunity to use Zimride Tompkins, the Tompkins County's ridesharing program. She related she wished she had known about Zimride last winter when her car stopped working. The loss of her car left her unable to go to a well paying apprenticeship. Without her car, she lost her job and other areas of her life fell apart, culminating with going on public assistance. With winter approaching, the young woman said she will store her motorcycle and search for transportation. She is now looking for work or job training, which requires reliable transportation for success.
Prior to the opening of a Zimride site for Tompkins County, local residents could find rideshare options in person or by using Craig's list/rideshare. Staff and students at Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College each had their own rideshare web based search tool specific to each academic setting. The Tompkins Rideshare Coalition to put local and State resources into ridesharing fo rthe county and region. In January 2011, the Tompkins Rideshare Coalition opened a local Zimride (www.zimride.com/Tomp) site, with a NYSERDA grant, to Tompkins County commuters to provide one common source to locate rideshare matches.
With Zimride people find an easy way to share a ride as a driver or get a ride as a passenger. To use Zimride, people first register by providing their email address with a password for a secure online registration, then provide their trip route and schedule information and receive emails on matches. There are four portals within Zimride/Tompkins including: Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins-Cortland Community College, and a Tompkins County community portal. People may limit their search to specific portals or open it to all. Zimride's growth and potential are demonstrated by the usage for the County portal which started at 60 users the first month and is now just under 300 users. Zimride saves money, reduces carbon emissions, and is a sustainable transportation option for persons living, working or spending time in Tompkins County and the surrounding region.
Nov 2011
Rideshare could have made the difference between keeping a paid apprenticeship and now being a job seeker for one young woman. I talked with the woman about her travel options and the opportunity to use Zimride Tompkins, the Tompkins County's ridesharing program. She related she wished she had known about Zimride last winter when her car stopped working. The loss of her car left her unable to go to a well paying apprenticeship. Without her car, she lost her job and other areas of her life fell apart, culminating with going on public assistance. With winter approaching, the young woman said she will store her motorcycle and search for transportation. She is now looking for work or job training, which requires reliable transportation for success.
Prior to the opening of a Zimride site for Tompkins County, local residents could find rideshare options in person or by using Craig's list/rideshare. Staff and students at Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College each had their own rideshare web based search tool specific to each academic setting. The Tompkins Rideshare Coalition to put local and State resources into ridesharing fo rthe county and region. In January 2011, the Tompkins Rideshare Coalition opened a local Zimride (www.zimride.com/Tomp) site, with a NYSERDA grant, to Tompkins County commuters to provide one common source to locate rideshare matches.
With Zimride people find an easy way to share a ride as a driver or get a ride as a passenger. To use Zimride, people first register by providing their email address with a password for a secure online registration, then provide their trip route and schedule information and receive emails on matches. There are four portals within Zimride/Tompkins including: Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins-Cortland Community College, and a Tompkins County community portal. People may limit their search to specific portals or open it to all. Zimride's growth and potential are demonstrated by the usage for the County portal which started at 60 users the first month and is now just under 300 users. Zimride saves money, reduces carbon emissions, and is a sustainable transportation option for persons living, working or spending time in Tompkins County and the surrounding region.
Nov 2011