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Iowa’s new way to connect for shared rides

News

October 20th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Starting today (Thursday) Iowans have a new online way to connect with other commuters who want to consolidate trips using a car pool or van pool. IowaRideshare.org uses technology to connect people coming and going to the same location. Bicycle and walking buddies can also be matched using the secure website.

The Iowa Department of Transportation partnered with several agencies to reduce the number of duplicative systems by integrating the car pool and van pool matching programs of several partnering agencies into Iowa Rideshare. Those agencies include the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, East Central Iowa Council of Governments, and The University of Iowa.

Iowa Rideshare is a service provided by the Iowa DOT and funded as part of the Federal Transit Administration’s Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative.

How does the system work?
Iowa Rideshare, designed by a company called RideShark, uses state-of-the-art mapping technology to search for possible commute matches. Matches are displayed on an interactive Google map, allowing you to email potential matches.

The database is searchable, and always changing as more users sign up. Because the service is new, finding a match might take a little time until more users are added to the database.

Who does the driving?
There is no hard and fast rule – it is totally dependent upon the individual circumstances of those in your car pool. In some car pools, each car pool member takes turns driving their own vehicle, while in others there is only one driver.

The program is designed to be flexible. You can sign up for options that work best for you including which days of the week you want to share a ride or if you prefer to drive or ride only. If the first car pool or van pool you choose doesn’t work out, check back for other options.