Press Releases

For Immediate Release

511 Regional Ridesharing Program Attracts Record Number of Commuters

Specter of BART Strike Spurs Search for Mobility Options

Contact:

Susan Gluss, 511 Regional Ridesharing Program, 510.273.3650
John Goodwin, MTC, 510.817.5862

Oakland, Calif., July 7, 2005…Concern about a possible BART strike prompted record numbers of commuters to contact the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)'s 511 Regional Rideshare Program in recent days. Hits to the ridesharing section of MTC’s <www.511.org> Web site more than doubled to about 48,000 on Tuesday, June 28 from about 23,000 a day the previous week, and skyrocketed to a whopping 237,600 on Tuesday, July 5 — just one day before the strike deadline announced by BART unions.

Phone calls to the 511 Rideshare hotline also increased sharply during the past week, peaking at about 150 on July 5. A record number of 588 applicants — six times the normal rate — signed up for the ridesharing program via the phone or Web on July 5.

“People called 511 or clicked on 511.org from cities across the region wanting to know how to get to work and how to get back home without being stranded on a highway,” said Tad Widby, Project Manager for the 511 Regional Rideshare Program. “The phones were ringing constantly,” said Widby, “so the office extended its hours, operating from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.” Normal office hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The 511 Regional Rideshare Program is a free service that helps commuters find people who live and work nearby to carpool or vanpool or even bicycle together to work. Ridesharing can save commuters both time and money by providing access to the Bay Area’s growing network of carpool lanes and to free park-and-ride lots. Anyone in the nine-county region who is interested in carpooling or vanpooling can register at <www.511.org> and find the latest commute information and transit alternatives.

“The greatest wasted transit resource in the Bay Area remains the empty seats in most commuters’ automobiles,” said MTC executive director Steve Heminger. “Ridesharing, whether formal or casual, is a critical tool in the battle against traffic congestion. And if you’ve got a long commute, sharing the ride with others may be the most relaxing, flexible and economical way to go.”

The 511 Regional Rideshare Program is funded by MTC, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), the U.S. Department of Transportation, and county congestion management agencies. MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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