SAVE MONEY ON GAS & HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
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You can cut back on driving or avoid car ownership entirely! Imagine... No insurance premiums, monthly payments, repair bills, maintenance logs, inspections or risk of theft.
Walking or riding your bike are great low cost, pollution-free ways to get around, but if you need to go longer distances, there are still plenty of solutions.
By becoming a member of a car sharing service, you have access to a well-maintained vehicle at any time. The Car Sharing Network has the most complete information on various programs. U Haul is also cashing in on this new phenomenon with U Car Share. If a service doesn't exist in your neighborhood, you can start your own with very little money.
CARPOOLS, VANPOOLS & RIDESHARING
If you work for a large employer or attend a university, there may already be a carpool program in place. Otherwise, check out these online resources:
Global -Craigslist (Choose your departure city at right, then go to 'Rideshare' under the 'Community' heading at upper left.)
Australia - Share Your Ride
Canada -
Europe -Jack Bell Rideshare (Vancouver region)
The RideShare Alliance (rideshares to events)
India -Carshare.com (UK)
Freewheelers (UK)
LiftShare (UK)
MyLifts.com (UK)
National Carshare (UK)
Taxistop (Belgium)
New Zealand -
Carpool NZUSA - (federal tax exemptions for ridesharing)
The RideShare Alliance (rideshares to events)
Transportation Connections (Pacific Northwest)
By State - (Many regional rideshare organizations recommend that you use the national services listed above first. On the other hand, some organizations offer financial incentives as well as Guaranteed Ride Home programs if you sign up through them.)
Alabama: CommuteSmarter (Birmingham)
Arizona: PAG Rideshare (Tuscon/Pima region), ShareTheRide (valley region)
Arkansas: Central Arkansas Rideshare
California: Metro ridematching (Los Angeles county), Ride Now (West Oakland BART), 511 Regional Rideshare (San Francisco Bay area), San Luis Obispo Regional Rideshare, RideMatch.info (southern CA), Valley Rides (central San Joaquin Valley region), San Benito County Rideshare, Mercedrides.com (Merced)
Colorado: RideShare (San Juan basin), SmartTrips (north front range), RideArrangers (Denver area), SkiCarpool (to ski resorts)
Conneticut: Rideworks (south-central)
Delaware: RideShare Delaware
Florida: Bay Area Commuter Services (Tampa Bay), LYNX (central)
Georgia: 1-87-RIDEFIND (Atlanta area)
Idaho: Commuteride
Indiana: OKI Rideshare
Kansas: Carpool Connection (Kansas City/Lawrence region)
Kentucky: Bluegrass Mobility Office (Lexington-Fayette area), OKI Rideshare
Maryland: Commuter Connections (DC region), Baltimore Metropolitan Council RideShare (regional)
Michigan: Michigan RideShare (southeast)
Minnesota: Metro Transit ride matching (Minneapolis area)
Missouri: Mid-Missouri Rideshare, RideFinders (St. Louis area)
New Hampshire: NH Rideshare, Upper Valley Rideshare
New Jersey: Ridesharing
New Mexico: Carpool New Mexico, Carpool Now (Albuquerque)
New York: CommuterLink (metro area)
North Carolina: Share The Ride NC, TTA Ride Sharing
Ohio: OKI Rideshare, NOACA Rideshare Program (northeast)
Oklahoma: Tulsa Area Rideshare
Oregon: Ashland Car Share, CarpoolMatchNW, Cherriots Rideshare (Willamette Valley), Cascades West Carpool
Pennsylvania: Commuter Connections (DC region)
Texas: Metro RideShare (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery & Waller counties)
Utah: UTA Rideshare
Vermont: Vermont Rideshare, Upper Valley Rideshare
Virginia: Virginia Rideshare Agencies
Washington: Pierce Transit Carpool, RideshareOnline, CarpoolMatchNW (southwest WA)
Washington, DC: Commuter Connections
NOTE: With the notorious DC area traffic getting worse by the day, a new practice called "slugging" has become popular. Drivers get faster commutes in exchange for providing free rides to strangers. Learn more at Slug-Lines.com.
West Virginia: Commuter Connections (DC region)
Buses - Routes International will get you to your local bus website in just a couple of clicks.
Subways - Amadeus provides world subway maps on their site. UrbanRail.net provides links to the official subway websites worldwide.
Taxis - In many cases, using a cab locally and buses between cities costs much less than owning a car.
Trains - Here's a directory of passenger trains, both in the US & internationally.
Don't let anyone tell you that you can't control gas prices. You've just learned how! Now enjoy your savings and pat yourself on the back. You made the effort and now you'll reap the rewards!
