Ridesharing

Save time and money by sharing a ride. Besides splitting gas and parking costs, more people carpooling means fewer cars on the road, so you’ll get where you’re going faster.

Carpooling

Carpooling does not have to be limited to your work commute. You can do it any day of the week for any type of trip. If you are in a sports league, or go to weekly religious services, you can set up regular carpools. And you can also form spontaneous carpools when running errands—ask a friend to come along.

Thanks to social media it is now easier than ever to find somebody going your way. Here are some online resources to help you find or offer a ride.

• Ridester
• Waze Carpool
• Lyft Carpool
• UberPool

Vanpooling

A vanpool can be helpful for people with long-distance commutes (30+ miles). Vehicles are provided by individuals or employers. Ask your company if it subsidizes vanpools—many do! Even if you pay out-of-pocket, sharing the cost of a long commute with six or more people can save you money.

Vanpooling is also eligible for a federal pre-tax benefit of $125 per month. Click here for more information.

Benefits of Vanpooling:

• Faster: The van can use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes
• Fixed schedule makes life predictable
• Saves on gasoline costs
• Saves on the cost of personal car insurance if they don’t commute regularly in them

How to form a vanpool:

A large pool of people from a specific area with the same schedule is typically needed to form one vanpool. If your employer is a member of the Charles River Transportation Management Association, they can help too.

For More Information

For more information please contact Jennifer Lawrence at 617-349-4671 or jlawrence@cambridgema.gov.