Carpool cash doled out to slash traffic

C/CAG will help subsidize carpooling for those who live or work in San Mateo County by offering $2 for both drivers and passengers traveling during peak commute hours. The program began last week for those using Scoop Technologies’ smartphone app and another contract is being drafted for Waze Carpool, said C/CAG Executive Director Sandy Wong.

“We want to try out more innovative strategies to reduce congestion,” Wong said. “We capture the new trend in the sharing society, and are using new technology of the app that provides users a more real time base.”

The app matches people who live and work near one another, with people booking rides just a few hours in advance. Passengers pay a distance-based amount to the driver. Scoop touts its app as a way to save time by steering people toward the carpool lane, reducing traffic and helping commuters save money.

While several communities, including Foster City, San Mateo, South San Francisco and Contra Costa County have offered money to smaller incentive programs, the $1 million is one of the largest contributions toward this type of effort, said C/CAG Program Manager John Hoang.

“Why $1 million? Because we wanted to expand all over,” Hoang said. “We’re not only reducing the number of cars in San Mateo County, but the other counties too. So it does have a wide-reaching effect.”

Sandwiched between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and with two bridges bringing East Bay commuters to the jobs-rich Peninsula, San Mateo County is flush with commuters. Boasting one of the highest employment rates in the state, nearly 70 percent of local residents drive to work solo. Plus, 50 percent of both workers and residents traverse county borders on their way to the office, according to officials and C/CAG’s 2040 San Mateo Countywide Transportation Plan.

“San Mateo County has a large share of imported workers from other counties, as well as exported workers who live here but work outside the county. Hence, it’s important that we look at congestion relief beyond the county border,” Wong said. “This program helps commuters to save time, save money, reduce stress from commuting and feel good about having contributed to cleaner air.”

The program was inspired in part after successes by earlier adopters. Foster City has allocated a total of $90,000 toward Scoop incentives for carpoolers and San Mateo’s $30,000 contribution was so popular it only lasted a few months.

“We think it’s great to have it expanded across the county and available to more cities,” said Kathy Kleinbaum, San Mateo’s deputy city manager. “I don’t think one initiative is a silver bullet toward transportation problems. But I think the more options, the better for people. And I think it actually helps people feel more comfortable taking transit and doing other options because they always know there’s another way to get home.”

There’s a complex web of transportation problems spanning the geographically challenging Bay Area, and transit officials know a multi-faceted approach is needed. A variety of efforts seek to wave goodbye to the solo driver, such as creating managed highway lanes, offering shuttle services and improving traffic signals to give buses priority.

But for an area with limited mass transit options and the “last mile” often one of the biggest challenges for anyone hailing Caltrain or the bus, Wong said carpooling can expand options for commuters.

“We hope this will provide much more flexibility, especially for people who don’t have access to transit,” Wong said.

Plus, Scoop’s “guaranteed ride home” reimburses people who take Uber or Lyft if they’re not matched with a carpool. C/CAG’s incentive program applies during peak commute hours of 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both drivers and riders can receive up to $4 per day — $2 each way. The rider then pays the remaining cost of the ride and the program can be overlaid with other incentives offered by participating cities, Hoang said.

The $1 million program is supported by local and regional sources, which include C/CAG’s member agencies’ contributions to a countywide congestion relief fund. Money from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which receives a portion of vehicle registration fees, is distributed through its Transportation Fund for Clean Air, Wong explained.

Commute.org is working with C/CAG to administer and promote the Carpool in San Mateo County! program and is expected to reach out to employers to spread the word and attract new carpoolers.

With housing costs rising, gas taxes increasing and authorities looking to hike bridge tolls, Wong agreed carpooling offers both financial and environmental benefits.

As Scoop expands across the country, the company’s CEO Rob Sadow said C/CAG’s commitment is timely.

“The Carpool In San Mateo County! program comes at a time when the Bay Area is ranked as having the second worst traffic in the nation,” Sadow said in a press release. “A county making this kind of commitment to shared commuting is a historic step in the journey to improve the lives of every commuter.”

Visit commute.org for more information. 

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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Twitter: @samantha_weigel