A new tool to help match carpool partners who want to share the ride is available to residents of Central Oregon. Get There, a new web-based tool that matches drivers with riders and can help people plan trips by transit, walking, and bicycling, is replacing Drive Less Connect, the state’s former carpool matching tool.
By typing in a starting point and destination, users are matched with either a passenger or a driver looking to share a ride. Using Get There helps travelers share the cost of transportation, and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions that harm the environment by eliminating the need to drive alone.
“Our goal is to help people have more choices for the way they travel,” said ODOT Highway Division Administrator Kris Strickler. “With more options, we usually see fewer vehicles on the road – and that means less congestion and frustration for everyone.” Commute Options will be using Get There to track trips made by walking, biking, carpooling, teleworking, and riding the bus for the Commute Options Partner Rewards program. Existing users have been transferred to Get There, and just need to update their password to continue logging trips.
“We are proud to offer the latest technology for trip tracking to our Commute Options Partner businesses. The Commute Tracker App allows for passive trip tracking, which is really easy to do,” says Kim Curley, Community Outreach coordinator with Commute Options.
In October, Get There will host the annual Get There Challenge, formerly the Oregon Drive Less Challenge. This year’s challenge will feature a range of prizes for people who live or work in Oregon to log trips made without driving alone. Sponsors include Providence Health & Services and Bike Friday. The Get There Challenge begins on October 7, 2019.
