Californian transit agencies partner to make carpooling more convenient

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Commute.org (San Mateo County), the Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA), the Solano Transportation Authority (STA), the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) and the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) have announced a new partnership to support customers looking to improve their commutes after two years of pandemic-induced disruption by providing seamless access to carpool and vanpool ride-matching and eligibility-based trip rewards.

The six transit agencies, which each operate commuter programmes in their jurisdictions, have integrated their commuter platforms to advance shared goals of reducing traffic congestion and curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As a result, when commuters access information from one agency, they will now have the choice to see information from all relevant agencies through a single user account. This provides commuters with the ability to expand their carpool match search and learn about all of the commuter rewards that may fit their travel pattern.

“This solution best serves commuters who want to find carpool partners,” said Barbara Laurenson, Principal Program Coordinator at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. “The timing couldn’t be better as COVID-19 fears wane, gas prices increase and more dire news about the climate is released.”

Customers who already have an account with one of the participating programmes will now see prompts on their dashboard to participate in other programmes for which they are eligible. New customers who do not already have an account with one of the participating agencies can either join MTC’s regional programme, Merge, or enrol in the commute programme for the county in which they live or work. In all cases, the customer can use a single login to access all of their programme accounts.

The new seamless Bay Area carpool and commuter network is the first in the nation to link multiple independent agency programmes. In addition to the benefits for Bay Area commuters, the integration enables deeper collaboration between transit agencies that are working to improve transportation in the region.

“Commute.org recognises that, to solve the transportation challenges in San Mateo County, we need to have strong partnerships with our peer agencies in the region,” said John Ford, Executive Director at Commute.org. “Nearly 60 per cent of the San Mateo County workforce travels to work from outside the county. This project opens up new ways to connect with those commuters, spur meaningful changes in drive-alone rates and promote better Bay Area air quality.”