PTS Joins Social Network for Ride-Sharing

PTS Joins Social Network for Ride-Sharing

By Katie StevensParking & Transportation Services
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Three or more carpoolers in a regular group are eligible for the Carpool Parking Program, which divides the cost of a single parking pass between group members. Zimride can help would-be carpoolers form a group. Employees as well as students may participate in both programs. (Photo courtesy of Parking & Transportation Services)
Three or more carpoolers in a regular group are eligible for the Carpool Parking Program, which divides the cost of a single parking pass between group members. Zimride can help would-be carpoolers form a group. Employees as well as students may participate in both programs. (Photo courtesy of Parking & Transportation Services)

Carpooling and ride-sharing are efficient ways to save money on gas while helping to reduce traffic congestion on the streets and lessen emission levels in the environment. But finding people to share a carpool with can be rather tricky, especially when taking into account different routes, schedules and interests.

Zimride, a California-based social ride-sharing network, offers a solution to this problem, and administrators at Parking & Transportation Services have been working closely with the Zimride team to bring the expanding service to the University of Arizona.

This summer, the UA became the first school in Arizona to bring the ride-sharing network to its campus.

Zimride has garnered more than 750,000 members nationwide and is the largest online ride-sharing network in North America. Zimride connects to social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing participants to view profiles, feedback, smoking preferences – even musical tastes of potential ride-share partners.

Zimride participants can interact on the Web and determine compatibility with other members of the ride-sharing network before forming carpools. To date, more than 1,500 UA students and employees have joined the program, far exceeding membership expectations, according to PTS.

"We are excited to offer a program that will allow our community to easily find and share rides to school and between campuses," said Bill Davidson, PTS marketing manager. "Zimride's solution is appealing to our students who want to save money. We believe this will reduce congestion and make campus commuting more efficient for everyone."

Those who carpool rather than drive alone can save money and gas, while also preventing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other harmful emissions from entering the environment. Through Zimride, more than 33,000 miles have been shared nationwide, preventing upwards of 25,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

Members of Zimride have the option of tracking the different types of transportation they use throughout the week by using the network's "commute calendar" feature. The calendar allows members to indicate the type of transportation they use on certain days, such as bicycling or carpooling, and the system computes the amount of miles, carbon dioxide emissions and money they saved by using more sustainable modes of travel.

Registration is free, and a UA NetID is required to register for the UA's private Zimride system. Before posting a ride, members are asked to register as a driver or passenger, select a starting and ending location and indicate their commuting schedules. Other members can browse the list of rides and select the commute that best matches their needs.

Sometimes users have more than a commute in mind. Network members can also post if they're planning to travel to far-off places – including cities in other states – in hopes of securing a shared ride and shared travel expenses to get there.

In hopes of expanding the UA ride-sharing network beyond Arizona state lines, administrators of UA Zimride have established partnerships with the University of California campuses in Davis and Santa Barbara.

The partnerships give UA Zimriders the option to network and form carpools with Zimriders from the other universities when a longer-distance commute is desired. UA Zimride administrators plan to continue expanding the service and have sent several partnership requests to other universities.

UA affiliates using the Zimride system to form carpools may also participate in the UA Carpool Parking Program. The program allows carpoolers with three or more people in the car to purchase one permit and split the price of the permit between all the members of the carpool, further reducing the costs of commuting to campus.

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