Working residents on the Middle Peninsula using the MidPenRideShare Program don’t just go green. They get green, too.
The program encourages residents to carpool, bike, walk or telecommute for their jobs and offers an incentive program for doing so.
By creating a free account with an email address at midpenrideshare.org, commuters can connect with other workers who share similar hours and work locations. Or they can log the hours they no longer drive to work due to telecommuting, an increasing trend related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Programs like this one are sprouting up all over the United States in an effort to encourage communities to be more environmentally conscious. This one also offers resources to help employers and employees transition to successfully telework. Up to half of American workers are working from home, a trend that is expected to continue even when the pandemic ends.
For Middle Peninsula residents who must be onsite for their jobs, MidPenRideShare is an especially important program. The Middle Peninsula boasts the highest “out” commuter rate in the state. Roughly three quarters of workers drive out of town to Richmond, the Peninsula or Williamsburg to go to their desks on weekdays.
While car- and van-pooling are commonplace in Northern Virginia, most commuters on the Middle Peninsula have never considered any other option except driving solo. Finding others who share the same schedule and pairing them to ride together not only reduces the number of cars on the road but decreases emissions.
If an initial match isn’t made, it’s not hopeless. New commuters create accounts every day.
MidPenRideShare services are provided by the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission’s Transportation Demand Program in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
“We encourage people to not drive alone by providing them some options,” said Lewie Lawrence, executive director of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. “Many people don’t realize they have options to telework, carpool or rideshare from the Middle Peninsula to Richmond or Hampton Roads.”
By using the program, commuters can see the statistics that calculate money saved due to fewer gallons of gas. The program even gives credit for calories burned for those who choose to walk or bike to work.
Points go toward rewards that can be redeemed at multiple restaurants and retail outlets across the Commonwealth. Discounts for attractions and shows are also available.
Another bonus: the Guaranteed Ride Home Program, designed for use in the event of unexpected personal or family emergencies, unexpected illness or unscheduled overtime. Commuters officially registered with MidPenRideShare can receive as many as four rides home in a one-year period if they have either used either carpooling or vanpooling, relied on public transit, biked or walked to the office on that day.
The program is mobile-friendly and can be downloaded on either the App Store or Google Play. Search for MidPenRideShare. Users can log their trips from day one and begin accruing rewards.