• Clean Commute Day 2010
• Expanded Coverage Area
• RideShare Youth Program Wins Communication Award
• New Online Ride Matching System
• Employer Services

Spring is here and time for spring cleaning – don’t forget to clean your commute! Join us for the 20th Annual Clean Commute Day in the Central Virginia area.

It’s easy to participate in Clean Commute Day. Just take the Clean Commute Pledge and promise to use a commute option other than driving alone for at least ONE DAY this spring! Your actions will help the environment, and you could win valuable prizes! Take the pledge at www.CommuterInformation.com or stop by the Clean Commute Day celebration on the Charlottesville downtown mall, Friday, May 7th from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. GET A FREE RIDE! Ride CTS for FREE all day on Friday, May 7th. JAUNT is offering free rides on its commuter routes all week long when you board a bike.

This year’s grand prize is a pair of roundtrip tickets to any destination on Amtrak’s new Northeast Regional service. Use the prize to travel to DC, Philadelphia, New York or Boston! Runner up prizes include gift certificates from Target, Whole Foods, and a free Zipcar membership. Thanks to our sponsors for making our event possible!

About Amtrak: The new Amtrak Virginia Lynchburg Northeast Regional service provides service between Lynchburg, VA, and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The service provides a one-seat ride between Lynchburg and Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Recently, Amtrak Virginia partnered with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and localities along the route to offer vacation packages to two of the route's most popular destinations, Charlottesville and Lynchburg. The packages offer discounted vacations if you travel with Amtrak. Visit www.amtrakvirginia.com for more information on the new service or Amtrak Virginia vacation packages.

About Commuter Information: The Commuter Information Team (CIT) is RideShare, JAUNT, CTS, UTS and Greene County Transit. CIT works to enhance the quality of life and mobility of people in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District by promoting the use of alternatives to single occupant vehicles to reduce traffic congestion, through private-public partnerships, community outreach and individualized service.

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The RideShare program expanded this year to cover the Central Shenandoah Planning District, which includes the five counties of Augusta, Bath, Highland, Rockbridge and Rockingham and the cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro. “RideShare has offered carpool matching to those commuting into or out of the Charlottesville region since the ‘80s,” says RideShare Program Manager, Lisa Horanyi. “We already have RideShare carpools going from Waynesboro to Charlottesville. Now those commuting to areas like Harrisonburg can find a carpool match as well.”

RideShare is reaching out to residents and employers across Central Virginia and the Central Shenandoah Valley to provide customized information on transportation options. For more information on CSPDC and RideShare’s expanded coverage area, contact Rebecca Joyce at 540-885-5174 or rebecca@cspdc.org.

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“A Day on the Go: Making Smart Choices with Zach and His Friends” is a workbook and accompanying website (www.ADayontheGo.org) created by RideShare to educate youth in grades 3-5 on transportation choices and the environment. The program was recently awarded runner up in the Communicating Concepts with John and Jane Q. Public Competition. RideShare Program Manager, Lisa Horanyi, attended the annual conference of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in January to accept the award and present a summary of the program.

The workbook follows the adventures of four friends as they carpool, walk and bike around their neighborhoods. Filled with stories, activities and games, the workbook is both educational and entertaining. Copies of the workbook are still available free of charge to anyone interested. Please contact RideShare via phone at (434) 295-6165 or e-mail at rideshare@tjpdc.org.

TRB is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council— a private, nonprofit institution that is the principal operating agency of the National Academies in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The TRB sponsors the John and Jane Q. Public Competition to highlight effective ways to communicate transportation concepts to non-technical audiences.

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RideShare is pleased to announce the launch of an instant ride matching system to be incorporated at www.RideShareInfo.org. The new system is provided by Commuter Connections, a program of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which serves as a commuter information source for Maryland, Virginia and DC.

The new carpool application will allow users to make changes to profile information, view carpool matches and Park & Ride information, and email other members to form or join a carpool. Information is interfaced with Google Maps for ease of use. It will also give access to a larger database, which may be useful for those with long distance commutes. The application for the Guaranteed Ride Home program will remain the same. Another thing that will not change - RideShare does not sell, share, or trade the information you provide. We are also still here to take applications by phone or assist with any other commuter assistance you may need.

Look for the change to the carpool application later this spring. Existing RideShare members will receive an email with a username and password allowing them to access their profile in the new system. For more information, contact rideshare@tjpdc.org.

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RideShare currently works with some of the largest employers in our region to address transportation needs, including University of Virginia, James Madison University, and State Farm Insurance among others. However, whether you have a staff of 10 or 1,000 there are benefits to making transportation options available.

If you find yourself looking further and further afield for qualified employees... if you've ever lost employees due to difficulty with transportation... if you've ever found yourself short of parking spaces... we could have the solution. RideShare can analyze the transportation patterns of your employees, identify opportunities for corporate involvement, and develop a program to address them.

For more information on all the employer services that RideShare offers free of charge, visit our website at www.RideShareInfo.org or call 434-295-6165 to schedule an appointment. We look forward to working with you

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RideShare – a service of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission
PO Box 1505, Charlottesville, VA 22902
www.rideshareinfo.org.
(888) 974-5500