511 Rideshare Offers Special Incentives for New Carpoolers

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

There are many rewards of carpooling - the cost savings, convenience, and opportunity to socialize - not to mention cutting down on traffic congestion, shrinking one's carbon footprint, and improving local air quality. Now, 511 Rideshare has come up with a whole new set of incentives, offering prizes from gift cards to chocolates, in its latest campaign to encourage Bay Area residents to give sharing the trip into work a try.

The new program, named Carpool. Track. Win!, debuted last month and runs through January 2011. Carpoolers throughout the nine-county region (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties) are eligible to participate. By tracking their weekly carpool trips, they can earn chances to win prizes including $100 and $500 gift cards, iPod Shuffles, iTunes, and Ghirardelli Chocolate. To be entered into the monthly drawings, commuters register with 511 Rideshare, find a carpool partner, and share the ride to work a minimum of eight times each month.

Finding a carpool partner through 511 is simple - online or on the phone. People who register online with 511 Rideshare get instant access to a list of people who have similar commute times and routes.

The 511 organization "wants people to know how rewarding carpooling can be," says Communications/ PR Manager Kit Powis. "Carpoolers can save money by sharing gas and parking expenses, qualify for discounted bridge tolls using FasTrak, and save time by using the numerous carpool lanes throughout the Bay Area. Plus when carpoolers track their shared trips each week, they could qualify to earn or win incentives, like in the latest promotion Carpool. Track. Win!"

Here are the official requirements for program participation:

To get started: Visit www.hacienda.org/services/services_commute_carpool.html to order a Matchlist.
Carpool to work a minimum of eight (8) days per month.
Log your carpool trips in your online Trip Diary each week.
Winners will be selected each month for: $100 in grocery gift cards, a 2GB iPod Shuffle and a $10 iTunes Gift Card, and coupons worth $5 for Ghirardelli Chocolates.
The two grand prizes of $500 in grocery gift cards will be randomly awarded in December and January to a commuter who has carpooled to work and logged a minimum of 24 carpool trips in 90 days (a minimum of eight per month).

A free web and phone service funded by the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, 511 Rideshare maintains an expanding database exceeding 19,000 San Francisco Bay Area commuters. The 511 RideMatch Service helps Bay Area residents find carpools and vanpools; and provides online tools for commuters to earn incentives while tracking their travel patterns and reducing their CO2 emissions. 511 Rideshare also provides free assistance to Bay Area companies in planning and developing customized commute programs. Its mission is to reduce traffic congestion, clean the air, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, visit 511.org or call 511 and say "Rideshare."

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