Students, faculty and staff looking for a carpool to campus can now use an online carpool database to connect with others.
The University has started subscribing to AlterNetRides, a Web service launched in January 2002 designed to “provide the most innovative and inexpensive carpool/ride share service possible,” according to the San Francisco company’s Web site.
This is one of several attempts University has made to reduce the amount of people driving to campus. Other efforts include using student incidental fees to buy bus passes in bulk and creating a biking infrastructure on campus.
Currently, the Department of Public Safety issues carpool parking permits, but few have taken advantage of the permit, said Steve Mital, sustainability coordinator for the Environmental Health and Safety department.
In the past 10 years, DPS only issued about 33 carpool parking permits, Mital said.
Mital hopes the database will encourage more people to carpool to campus.
“It’s hard to find people who live in your neighborhood and go to school at the same time and come home at the same time,” he said.
The carpool program is “designed to organize that stuff for you,” Mital said.
On the Web site, a driver can type in his or her neighborhood and input when they go to and leave from campus. The Web site can also be used to find rides for other occasions and destinations, such as a ride to another city.
So far, two University riders are listed through the database.
Several universities throughout the country are registered with the Web site. Participating universities are charged an annual fee of $200. DPS will fund the program here.
A university’s success with the program depends on how well the Web site is promoted, said Mark Evanoff, founder of AlterNetRides.
Mital said he will hire a student as carpool coordinator this week. The coordinator will work with individuals and help them navigate the new database. He or she will also to promote the new program on campus and track the program’s success, he said.
A carpool consists of three or more people. A carpool parking permit costs $82 for a year. Carpoolers can purchase a reserved parking permit for an additional $214.
Annual parking permits are $167 for faculty and $94 for students.
When split between riders, the cost of a permit is minimal, Mital said.
Mital said increased carpooling to campus will reduce pressure on a limited number of parking spaces, reduce emissions and contribute less to global warming.
This year, DPS will issue between 6,500 and 7,000 parking permits to faculty, students and staff. There are only 3,300 parking spaces on campus; 1,500 are available to students.
Mital will work with DPS to create a ride share program where two people who share a ride can receive a reduced parking fee as well.
Last spring, Mital and his students sponsored a contest between University departments and their staffs to use alternate means of transportation. Mital plans on conducting a similar contest later this year.
For more information visit www.alternetrides.com.

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