Program seeks to reduce traffic

Early Monday chill couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of Audrey Debarros and Saila Hanninen, who were eager to kick-start Colorado’s first on-demand rideshare program at the U.S. 36 and Table Mesa transit station.

They handed out freebies along with flyers announcing Casual Carpool on U.S. 36 to commuters waiting or getting ready to board public transit buses.

“I’ll look into it,” said Dan Mandle of Boulder.

Mandle has been commuting daily to Denver for 2½ years, he said. Although the transit bus works for him, it’s good to know of other options, he said.

Casual Carpool on U.S. 36 is a pilot program of Louisville-based Commuting Solutions, said Debarros, executive director of the organization.

The program was developed with the help of a federal grant to reduce traffic and improve air quality, she said. An estimated 100,000 vehicles travel daily on U.S. 36, and the great majority of people using the express lanes are solo drivers, she said.

The innovative appbased program matches drivers and riders traveling in the same direction on the busy corridor with the aim to reduce the number of cars on the road, said Hanninen, director of partnerships, Waze Carpool for the Rocky Mountain region.

The program allows users to connect during peak commuting hours at the predetermined pickup and drop-off locations along the U.S. 36 corridor.

The app, developed by a Google-owned company in Israel, also is being used in Brazil and Israel.

Waze Carpool Mission 2.0 is about reducing congestion and eliminating traffic, Hanninen said. The company’s Waze app provides real-time information to help drivers avoid traffic, but the Waze Carpool goes a step further to help commuters contribute to reducing traffic on the highway, Hanninen said.

The app offers users flexibility to schedule rides even on short notice, but they would have better chances to find a rider or driver to fit their schedule if they plan ahead, she said.

The app makes the program dynamic, Debarros said, adding that there is interest in the program. “But it’ll take time to build a critical mass. We’re talking about a behavior change,” she said. “We do not know how long it will take, but we’re excited about the opportunity to test the pilot program.”

The public needs to be educated about the benefits of ditching its cars for collective good, she said. Also, technology makes it easier to share a ride than before, she said.

The program will continue through December and will be evaluated, Debarros said. She said the goal is to have 1,200 people try carpooling.

Vehicles in the program need to be transporting at least two passengers in addition to the driver and two passengers to qualify for the U.S. 36 express lanes.

For the first three months of the program, rides costs $1 per trip regardless of the distance.

After April, the program will cost 58 cents a mile for riders, the same as the reimbursement rate for drivers.