Carpool matching service and app help users find alternatives to driving alone.
 Whether on a bike, on the bus or behind the wheel, commuters in the Kansas City region now have improved ways to come together and share the ride. RideshareKC has updated its ride-matching service, including an improved web site and smartphone app. RideshareKC is a publicly funded program that provides commuter resources to individuals and employers in the Kansas City region. Established in 1980, the program helps individuals find alternative commute opportunities and assists employers with transportation programs.
At RideshareKC.org registered users can find commute partners for carpooling, riding the bus or biking. The updated site offers information about alternative transportation options and a commute cost calculator to help users calculate savings in both money and greenhouse gas emissions. Carpooling with one other rider just one day a week can cut commute costs by 20 percent.
“Studies show that commuters who use alternative transportation tend to be less stressed and more productive at work,” said Amanda Graor, principal planner and air quality program manager at the Mid-America Regional Council. “These new tools make it easier for people to connect  and share the ride, de-stressing their daily commute while taking cars off the road and reducing emissions.”
Users who register with RideshareKC create a trip profile — a specific trip taken on a regular basis. The system matches each user with potential commute partners who have similar schedules and routes. Users can contact those who match and inquire about the possibility of carpooling, riding the bus or biking together. The system has more than 1,000 commuters actively seeking potential matches.
The smartphone app allows users to find commute partners, identify bike and bus routes and log trips using alternative transportation on the go.
Carpooling, riding the bus and biking are some of the many ways to reduce air pollution, especially during ozone season, which runs from March 1 to Oct. 31, when warmer temperatures that increase the risk of ozone formation are more likely. •
SOURCE: Mid-America Regional Council
