Transportation/trucking/railroad - Edwardsville, Illinois, United States
Ridesharing - The Low-Cost AlternativeeRideShare.com is a free website with a user community of 250,000 members who connect for commuting, cross-country travel, and events. It has been featured widely in media and in over 70 books. The service provides profiles, listings, search functionality including maps, anonymous messaging, and private group services. Mobile apps are in development.Carpooling reduces:- Expense of gasoline, tolls, and parking for driver and rider- Vehicle wear and tear for driver- Need for employers to build parking spaces- Traffic for everybody- Greenhouse gas emissions- Common pollution- Dependence on oil, including oil importsCarpooling increases:- Mobility, especially for lower income, disabled, and elderly- Access to HOV lanes and reserved parking spaces- Overall availability of parking spaces- Social connection- Organizational communications, when members / employees carpool togetherAccording to the Census Bureau, carpooling is positively correlated with the price of gasoline (r=.65) and negatively correlated with disposable income (r=-.63). 10% of Americans carpool to work. Half of those share the ride with family members. 95% of carpoolers already knew each other.Chief reasons for resistance to carpooling are stranger danger, inconvenience, and preference for alone time.The USA consumed $472bn of gasoline in 2011, with considerable additional oil-related military expenses.