Spring Break
UMKC carpooling with Rideshare
Sam Sheffield
Issue date: 8/25/08 Section: News
You may live miles away from campus and spend hundreds of dollars a month feeding your gas tank. You may be tired of congested roadways and of adding to pollution problems.
Well, UMKC and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) may have a solution for you.
On June 26, the MARC Rideshare Program became available for UMKC employees and students to sign up. The program links you with others interested in carpooling who live near by.
The Web site has the stats of every person signed up including whether they're male or female, their phone number, availability to drive or not and gender or smoking preferences. Participants communicate by e-mail to set up carpool routes.
Gaile Johnson, a Senior Human Resource Specialist for UMKC, said it was originally designed only for employees of the university, but students can use it too.
"When we put it out there, we were looking out more for employees, but students can also register," Johnson said. "Not only are we saving gas, but it's good for the environment."
UMKC has 139 people registered to carpool, and so far according to MARC's tally, 99 trips have been reduced, 4757 miles and 227 gallons of gas have been saved, 4400 pounds of total emissions have been cut and over $2,000 have been saved by participants at UMKC alone.
"It saves on wear and tear on your vehicle too," Johnson said. "We have four people in my group, and we meet up at a location, park our cars there and we all drive in together."
Johnson recommended that to ease any fears about who you might be carpooling with. it was a good idea to meet with the person beforehand in a public place.
"There are tips on MARC's Web site, about carpooling and how you can be selective," she said. "When you register, you can check a box that says 'UMKC only' and you would only be matched up with people here at UMKC that have registered."
MARC's Rideshare program is a free service, and is basically a carpool networking community online. It also provides a Guaranteed Ride Home, or a free taxi cab ride from work if you have an emergency and you can't carpool home.
To learn more go to www.marc.org/rideshare/. You can sign up for the free service and be able to help yourself and the environment around you any day of the week.
ssheffield@unews.com
Well, UMKC and the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) may have a solution for you.
On June 26, the MARC Rideshare Program became available for UMKC employees and students to sign up. The program links you with others interested in carpooling who live near by.
The Web site has the stats of every person signed up including whether they're male or female, their phone number, availability to drive or not and gender or smoking preferences. Participants communicate by e-mail to set up carpool routes.
Gaile Johnson, a Senior Human Resource Specialist for UMKC, said it was originally designed only for employees of the university, but students can use it too.
"When we put it out there, we were looking out more for employees, but students can also register," Johnson said. "Not only are we saving gas, but it's good for the environment."
UMKC has 139 people registered to carpool, and so far according to MARC's tally, 99 trips have been reduced, 4757 miles and 227 gallons of gas have been saved, 4400 pounds of total emissions have been cut and over $2,000 have been saved by participants at UMKC alone.
"It saves on wear and tear on your vehicle too," Johnson said. "We have four people in my group, and we meet up at a location, park our cars there and we all drive in together."
Johnson recommended that to ease any fears about who you might be carpooling with. it was a good idea to meet with the person beforehand in a public place.
"There are tips on MARC's Web site, about carpooling and how you can be selective," she said. "When you register, you can check a box that says 'UMKC only' and you would only be matched up with people here at UMKC that have registered."
MARC's Rideshare program is a free service, and is basically a carpool networking community online. It also provides a Guaranteed Ride Home, or a free taxi cab ride from work if you have an emergency and you can't carpool home.
To learn more go to www.marc.org/rideshare/. You can sign up for the free service and be able to help yourself and the environment around you any day of the week.
ssheffield@unews.com
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