MetroPool, Inc., founded in 1980, is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is to foster better mobility and air quality in the region by providing employers and individuals with services and products which reduce single occupant vehicle trips, address commuter needs, and improve the efficiency of the transportation network. MetroPool provides services under contract with the Connecticut and New York Departments of Transportation and also receives private sector funding in the form of contributions.

MetroPool serves commuters who travel into, within and through Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, and Ulster Counties in New York.

Services include free over-the-phone advanced computer-based ridematching and classified ridematching listings listing in The Commuters' Register, vanpool and carpool assistance, and transit matching for work trips. MetroPool also assists employers with their commute programs through on-site consultation, Guaranteed Ride Home Programs, marketing support, and other services (see "MetroPool Services"). All services are provided free of charge.

Commuters interested in finding a better way to get to work may call MetroPool at 1-800-FIND-RIDE.

MetroPool Services

MetroPool provides free commuter services to commuters and employers with the support of the Connecticut and New York Departments of Transportation. Services are available to employers and commuters in Fairfield County, Connecticut ; and Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties in New York.

CALL 1-800-FIND-RIDE

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Carpool and Vanpool Ridematching

Looking for a carpool or vanpool partner? MetroPool offers two ways for individual commuters to find a match:

1. The Commuters' Register newspaper: either on-line or on paper, The Commuters' Register contains hundreds of listings for carpools, vanpools, and transit. Copies are available at distribution outlets throughout the region or call 1-800-FIND RIDE for a free copy. OR visit The Commuters' Register Online.

2. Over -the-Phone Computer Matching: MetroPool maintains a database of more than 8,000 active or forming carpools and vanpools. Just call our customer service staff, provide basic information on work hours, origin and destination of your commute trip, etc., and you may be on your way to an instant match! You may also submit a ridematching form on-line on this web site.

Commute Consultation

Call MetroPool for general information on commuting in Fairfield County and the mid-Hudson region of New York. Transit referrals, brochures, and other information is also available (check out the online store for free copies of MetroPool stuff).

CALL (203) 324-6700

On-Site Technical Assistance

MetroPool's Program Managers work directly with employers to provide ongoing guidance and support for their programs. Implementation assistance includes:

• identification of available commute options
• identification of appropriate program strategies
• identification and delivery of appropriate ridesharing services
• development of customized promotional materials
• ongoing program evaluation and consultation

Ridematching Services

MetroPool works with the employer to facilitate matches among fellow employees, within activity centers (corporate parks, etc.) or region-wide, depending on the number of employees, location of the site, variation in trip origins, and ETC/employer policy. The service is provided through "batch" matching of an employee database (provided by the employer in electronic form and "fed" into the system); "batch" matching of employer survey data; and individual employee entries.

Employees have an opportunity to place a listing in The Commuters' Register to expand their base of potential matches for carpools or vanpools. Individual match lists are generated for each participating employee and distributed through the transportation coordinator at the employer site.

Vanpool and Shuttle Formation

MetroPool assists employers with the formation of vanpools on-site, including consultation on available vanpool arrangements and vehicles, driver and rider orientation, facilitation of van delivery, and start-up. MetroPool also works with with employers to start shuttle service between the worksite and transit stations.

Transportation Days

Transportation Days are commuter awareness days held to raise employee perception about commute options and generate interest and enthusiasm about the employers' program. In many cases, transportation providers and other "experts" are invited in to speak to employees and promote their services. Transportation Day events also serve as opportunities to carry out ridematching activities at the employer site, including gathering information for matches and distributing matchlists to participating employees. MetroPool works closely with the employer to organize an event that reflects the environment of the work place and covers all of the choices available to commuters traveling to the site. Display materials and other items are developed and produced to maintain interest in Transportation Days and other employer-based special events. Small promotional items, such as pens, magnets, and lunch bags (with cookies!) are provided for Transportation Day giveaways.

Guaranteed Ride Home Programs

MetroPool works with the employer to coordinate participation in area-wide Guaranteed Ride Home programs where taxi service is available. In a typical program, arrangements are made with a local taxi service to respond quickly to employees' emergencies, usually within fifteen minutes. Vouchers are provided by MetroPool to the employer and passed on to the employee to cover the cost of the trip. The employee simply gives the voucher to the provider. MetroPool reimburses the provider from a reserve cash fund provided by each participating employer. Employers are given a quarterly report and financial statement which monitors usage of the program. Additional arrangements can be made available to employees in the event of unscheduled overtime. In addition to providing access to the program, MetroPool provides the employer with recommended guidelines for determining eligibility, internal administrative procedures, and evaluation.

Employers are provided with brochures and other materials to assist them in marketing the Guaranteed Ride Home program to their employees.

Work sites not served by area-wide programs are assisted in setting up their own Guaranteed Ride Home service.

Survey Tabulation Service

MetroPool assists employers in conducting on-site commute surveys including, in Connecticut, free survey tabulation. The service also provides automatic access to batch ridematching with use of an optional survey addendum. This process also offers an opportunity for employees to place a listing in The Commuters' Register.

Commuter Information Centers

Commuter Information Center kiosks play an important role in keeping the ridesharing message in front of employees at the worksite: each month, the kiosks generate about 120,000 employee impressions. Both the Connecticut and New York Departments of Transportation provide free kiosks to employers in the region, providing a permanent foot in the door for MetroPool-provided marketing materials.

A packet of marketing materials (including posters, flyers, paycheck stuffers, transit schedules, brochures, etc.) is mailed to ETCs each month. An area-wide quarterly sweepstakes is included in the program to create excitement and interest among employees.

Promotional Materials

MetroPool provides a range of brochures (carpooling, vanpooling, transit maps, park & ride lot listings, cost comparisons) to ETCs for distribution to employees. Text of the brochures is available on disk so you may adapt it for their own use. You may order brochures through a MetroPool program manager or place an order at the s"MetroPool On-Line Store".

Commuter Connections

Since December 1992 MetroPool has published an eight page, quarterly report on Transportation Demand Management issues in the form of Commuter Connections. The newsletter provides a broad look at transportation in the region, while highlighting employer efforts and reinforcing the benefits of commute programs to encourage management support. Commuter Connections highlights new options available to employers as well as legislative and other issues concerning Transportation Demand Management. Profiles of actual employer programs -- both successful and unsuccessful -- provide employers with valuable, hands-on information that they can assimilate as they implement their own trip reduction programs. View a recent issue of Commuter Connections on this web site and get your name placed on the mailing list.

How-To Guides

MetroPool periodically publishes "Smart Guides" on such topics as carpool and vanpool program implementation, work site marketing, telecommuting and other flexible working arrangements, and other topics. The Guides include implementation tips and tear out flyers, forms, sample policies, and other items that can be lifted by the employer and incorporated directly into a program. Order a Guide at the on-line store.

SMART Talk

Employers need a regular source of new program ideas. S.M.A.R.T. Talk is a newsletter specifically designed to provide helpful information to "front line" transportation coordinators to help them implement their commute programs. The newsletter also features information on new service startups or changes in existing services, workshop schedules, and Network meetings. Take a look at a recent issue on this web site.