Share a Ride Basics

Resources for Ann Arbor

• Michigan Rideshare is a FREE and easy online service that gives commuters who work in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties the ability to identify potential carpool and vanpool partners quickly and securely.  www.MIRideshare.org
• With Michigan Rideshare you can create or access your matching account at any time to search for new matches and contact matches instantly via email.  Visit www.MIRideshare.org today to create or check up on your account!
• Vanpoolers who search for matches on the Michigan Rideshare website will be referred to the MichiVan program.  This program is sponsored by MDOT and is operated by VPSI, Inc.
• The site will be opened to the public on May 12th.

• Michigan Rideshare offers a Guaranteed Ride Home Program as part of it's service
  
• Fear of being stranded in an emergency prevents some commuters from participating in a ridesharing arrangement.  The solution: Guaranteed Ride Home. 
• Poolers who enroll in Guaranteed Ride Home may receive taxi fare or rental car reimbursement in the case of personal or family illness, unscheduled overtime or unscheduled departure of carpool/vanpool driver.
• Participants must make their own arrangements for a taxicab or rental car.  Reimbursements will be made for trips (up to 100 miles) from the work site to the residence or pooler meeting location. Intermediate stops (e.g., day care or hospital) are permitted.  For more details visit www.MIRideshare.org.
  
• Preferential Parking for Carpools and Vanpools at Downtown Parking Structures.  As of May 1, 2008, the getDowntown Program in partnership with the DDA will offer preferential parking spaces for carpools of 3 or more or vanpools.
  
• These spaces are located at the Ann/Ashley, Fourth and William, Fourth and Washington, Maynard, and Forest Parking Structures.
• These are first floor guaranteed parking spaces and will be available for $125 a month.
• For more information, please contact getdowntown.
  
  
• Zipcar.  Zipcar is an hourly carsharing service available to residents and workers in downtown Ann Arbor and on the University of Michigan Campus. www.zipcar.com/umich/

• Check out all of the share a ride-related Curb Your Car Month events here: http://www.getdowntown.org/ride/

Some Basic Definitions

Ridesharing

• Sharing a ride to work in a car or van with one or more people

Carsharing

• Sharing a car with other individuals by the hour or by the day.

Carpools

• Carpools are groups of two or more people who commute together using a vehicle provided by a person within the group.
• A carpool can be made up of co-workers, neighbors, friends, spouses, family members, roommates, or someone you just met through a rideshare database.
• Carpooling doesn’t require a commitment of five days a week.  It can be once a week, every other week, or whatever works with your schedule.

Vanpools

• Vanpools are groups of five to fifteen people who commute together using a vehicle provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).  The costs of commuting can be significantly reduced in vanpools due to the number of people sharing the rides.
• In a vanpool, riders pay a monthly fee.  One person volunteers to be the primary driver of the van and rides without paying that fee.

Pooling Pointers

Your commute will be convenient and comfortable if you have a plan.  It's a good idea for you and your fellow passengers to have a preliminary get-together to meet each other and agree on the rules of your pool's operation.  Take a few minutes to set up some guidelines…you'll be glad you did.

Pointers

• Clarify the purpose of your pool.  Will your trip be strictly a work commute or will stops for errands be allowed?
• Decide on a regular route and pick-up time for each passenger, including how long the pool will wait for latecomers.
• Establish a chain of communication so schedule adjustments can be made quickly and easily.  Keep all your partners up-to-date with current contact information.
• Figure out the cost of your commute and how driver reimbursements will be made.  Be sure to include fuel and parking fees.

 Etiquette

• Be on time.
• Agree on issues such as temperature, smoking, eating or drinking in the vehicle, and radio use.
• Avoid the use of strong scents to which others may be allergic.
• Give adequate notice to fellow poolers when planning vacations and days off.
• If you decide pooling isn't for you, give your vanpool driver or fellow carpool partners two weeks notice so they will have time to recruit another rider.
• Keep your vehicle clean, in safe condition, and filled with enough gas for each trip.

A Few Upcoming Bumps in the Road

It’s that time a year again!  As all of us Michiganders know, summer time means construction time.  Check out all detours and delays here: http://www.getdowntown.org/resources/Construction_x_Event_Information.html