Oregon has a new free tool that can save you money and more on the road – Drive Less Connect. It’s now even easier to take advantage of carpool options for getting to work that can save you money and more on the road. Anyone looking for carpool matches can simply log in at https://drivelesssavemore.icarpool.com to register their travel needs and find carpool matches.
“Drive Less Connect is a one-stop shopping website to help commuters find carpool matches, which helps them reduce the cost of their daily commute to work,” says Jeff Monson, executive director of Commute Options. Commute Options is the local administrator of the statewide rideshare program, funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation and promoted statewide under the Drive Less Save More campaign. Launched in September, 2011, Drive Less Connect seeks to reduce individual car trips as an integral part of a larger solution to addressing traffic congestion.
Central Oregon businesses who already are Commute Options Partners have been using Commute Options’ carpool matching services for some time. But, says Monson, the new and improved program makes it even easier for employees to use and track their carpool trips.
Any employer who wants to help their employees reduce the cost of getting to work can become a Commute Options Partner. Commute Options works one-on-one with partner employers to develop a customized transportation plan, reward employees using commute options, and provide presentations, brochures, posters and materials, and a website for promoting smart commuting choices.
“Commute Options can help employers and their employees think outside the box when it comes to commuting. Drive Less Connect is just one more tool that we can offer now,” says Monson.
Commute Options Partners can also choose to participate in a Rewards Program, which awards a $20 gift certificate to employees who commute to work 45 round trips using a commute option and track their trips with Drive Less Connect. Along with this monetary reward, employees receive information on how much money they’ve saved and the positive impact their efforts have made in their community.
Individuals who use Drive Less Connect can also be rewarded for reducing their trips. “I never knew I could be rewarded for going to work with two other people,” said Mary Hofer, office manager at Bend Senior High School. Hofer tracked her carpool trips with Drive Less Connect and won a $100 Fred Meyer gift certificate for doing so.
To get started, commuters create their own carpool account at https://drivelesssavemore.icarpool.com by clicking on the Register Now! button, or by going to the Commute Options website, www.commuteoptions.org. Registering only takes a few minutes, and accounts can be used immediately upon verification. All information is also kept private. Account holders are personally in control of how their information is shared.
Commute Options promotes choices that reduce the impacts of driving alone. For more information about Commute Options, contact Jeff Monson, Executive Director of Commute Options at 541-330-2647 or visit www.commuteoptions.org.
Annissa Anderson is a freelance writer and PR consultant in Bend.
