City Starts Employee Carpool Program

Feb 26th, 2008

Today, South Alabama Regional Planning Commission (SARPC) announced the launch of the CommuteSmart Mobile program. CommuteSmart is a ride matching initiative modeled after similar programs in major cities throughout the nation, and it will offer area residents a better way to get to and from work. To help jumpstart this new program, the City of Mobile is offering an incentive to employees participating in the program.

Mayor Sam Jones will announced incentives for participating city employees. In addition to Mayor Jones, city council members, county commissioners, SARPC and Envision Coastal Alabama officials will be on hand to celebrate this exciting new program’s launch. Members of the press are invited to learn more by attending the conference; refreshments will be served.

CommuteSmart is a web-based ride matching program which collects information from participants and in turn sets up carpooling networks of commuters from the same areas. Another great feature of this ride matching program is the offer of an emergency ride home to participants. In the event that carpoolers should need an unscheduled ride home due to an emergency or illness, CommuteSmart will provide carpoolers with free transportation home.

Through these carpooling networks, CommuteSmart is able to save money, reduce wear and tear on participants’ vehicles, and cut down on the number of vehicles on roadways during rush hours. Most importantly, this program is designed to improve air quality in the area by reducing ozone emissions.

Best of all, the program is completely free and signing up is simple. To sign up, log on to the CommuteSmart Mobile homepage at: www.commutesmart.org/mobile and register for the ride matching program. After filling out a brief form detailing your commute, you are automatically matched with a carpooling network. Interested participants are encouraged to sign up through the website, but may also sign up by phone by calling 251-706-1CAR (224).

Being the first to adopt SARPC’s program, the City of Mobile and Mobile County will serve as successful models encouraging other organizations to join the effort in reducing traffic, saving money, and improving air quality through commuting smart.