The BC Ride Match service has been around since the fall of 2012 and since then, the service and those working with it have been committed to bringing students into contact with other students who need or want to carpool to school.
BC Ride Match works through an online database. Students fill out basic information, such as where they reside and what times during the week they need rides. From there, students are matched by the service with eligible carpooling buddies.
According to the BC Office of Sustainability’s web page, the basic benefits of using the Ride Match service are saving money by splitting the cost of gas, being able to save time because of the allowed use of the carpool lane, and “meeting friends by riding with others instead of sitting alone.”
Each quarter, BC Ride Match provides incentives to persuade students into exploring the idea of carpooling. This quarter alone, there are over $1,500 in prizes for those who consistently use the service. Students who use BC Ride Match have to log their rides through the service, and are given the opportunity to earn money each quarter just for consistently carpooling. The required number of carpool rides needed per month to earn the incentives is eight.
Another benefit for students who use BC Ride Match is reserved carpool parking on the first floor of the parking garage. At least three students are required per car to receive this benefit and one parking permit is required.
If students wish to ride with a bigger group of people to school or don’t like the idea of driving their own cars to school, the Vanshare is another option that BC Ride Match recognizes for earning incentives. King County Metro Rideshare offers this service to people from all over the area, not just BC, so students who use would have the opportunity to meet and ride with a bigger pool of individuals.
“BC Ride Match’s success relies on enrollment. The more people who are enrolled, the larger the commuter community is,” said Green.