shut up and drive

Many of you know that I have been registered with the Jack Bell Online RideShare program for about two years: http://online.ride-share.com/

You know when you are driving down the highway and you see signs for a phone number to call if you want to get linked up with other people to carpool to work? Yeah, that is the RideShare program too. It’s all the same thing.

Anyway…. I have had two profiles listed on there for two years. One of my profiles is seeking a ride to and from work, three days a week, leaving any time between 8 – 10am and coming home any time between 3 – 6pm. My other profile is seeking a ride one way (to work), three days a week, leaving any time between 8 – 10am. As you can see, my profile(s) are very flexible. You would think that as a single, female, nonsmoker who has a *very* flexible schedule that I would be linked up with a carpool in no time.

Wrong!

Two long years.

In those two years I changed my profile many times (trying to figure out whether or not I should tell people that I have MS and may need to take a washroom stop somewhere along the way), had ongoing email contact with the administrator of the site (letting him know the numerous short-comings of the site/ system) and sent dozens and dozens of people messages inviting them to rideshare with me.

Not a single response in two years.

Then, last week, I got a message from a woman who lives about 3 minutes away from my house. She works a few blocks away from me (in the downtown east side). Although her work hours are far earlier than I would *prefer* to work (i.e. 8:30am – 4:30pm, which means waking up at 6am and leaving my house at 7:30am), our routes and schedules are totally compatible.

On Sunday, I met her for tea and we discussed the arrangements. Today was day one of rideshare party. I am hoping that it will work out. We have agreed to try it out for two weeks and see what happens. If, at the end of the two weeks we both feel that it is working, we will continue on.

Here are my thoughts: I am *amazed* that it has taken this long for a possible rideshare to present itself. There were literally 50 people registered on the system that had perfectly compatible routes and schedules to mine. I messaged all of those people – and I am sure that I messaged some of them more than once. Why would people register if they have no intention of making a connection? Is it something that people do to make themselves feel good/ charitable, even if they don’t follow through? What does it take to make rideshare programs workable for people?

I wonder if the ever-rising costs of having a vehicle will be incentive for folks to get into their cars with other people (not to mention environmental and time-saving reasons to carpool). As me and my new carpool buddy noted during the drive to work today, the HOV lane continues to be nearly clear of cars – even at the heart of rush hour.

So, you city-planning savvy people, what gives? What cities have rideshare programs that work? Why? Tell me more!