City schools encourage carpooling with NuRide
By Alison Damast
Staff Writer
Published August 28 2005
NORWALK -- A new online carpooling network is being marketed to
teachers in the Norwalk Public Schools this year.
This is the first time NuRide, a Web site that links commuters
looking to share rides to work, has been promoted to a group of
teachers in the state.
Since it debuted in lower Fairfield County five months ago, more
than 1,500 people have signed on for the service. MetroPool has
mostly targeted corporations such as Pitney Bowes in Stamford and
Cendant Mobility in Danbury, but is looking to expand its efforts
to reach educators.
Teachers in the Norwalk schools come from across the state and
are a natural audience for the service, said John Lyons, president
and chief executive officer of MetroPool of Stamford, which provides
alternative transportation initiatives. If the program is successful
in Norwalk, MetroPool employees will make presentations for NuRide
in other local school districts.
"Teachers do a fair amount of driving and most teachers are
kind of open to things like that that impact the environment,"
Lyons said. "School districts are a big employer. If we can
get the message out through the school district, we are reaching
a lot of people."
NuRide is not a typical carpooling service. It is a Web site that
rewards points to commuters who frequently share rides. Those points
may be redeemed for coupons at participating retailers. Commuters
log onto the Web site and type in their starting point and destination,
time of departure and return, and whether they are willing to drive
or ride in another car. They also can specify if they would like
to ride with a male, female, smoker or nonsmoker.
The Web site's search engine then identifies compatible travel
companions, listing them by the percentage of miles they share to
their destinations. Participants can click on someone with whom
they would like to carpool with and set up a meeting. They can opt
to return with a different person if the timing is convenient.
Fay Ruotolo, the district's human resources officer, said she was
throwing her support behind NuRide because she believed it could
be a valuable tool for teachers, many of whom commute more than
an hour to work.
"Part of our issue with recruitment is transportation and
the cost of living and housing," Ruotolo said. "So, if
people do choose to live farther away, at least they'll have another
option to reduce the cost of transportation. And hopefully, it will
signal to employees that we care about their personal lives and
how they arrive at work."
MetroPool employees encouraged teachers to sign up for the service
at a Teacher Orientation Friday in Norwalk City Hall. They distributed
fliers promoting the service, along with a $10 gift certificate
to TGI Friday's restaurants that could be redeemed if they signed
up for NuRide online.
Several teachers at the orientation session talked with Holly Burbank,
a MetroPool employee promoting the program.
"Teachers are natural car-poolers," Burbank said. "They
go to conferences and training sessions together and schools are
always throwing people in cars to get somewhere."
Jessica Slason, a new biology teacher at Norwalk High who lives
in Waterbury, said she was interested in the service.
"It's almost like match.com with the way you have the ability
to pick people," Slason said, referring to the online dating
service. "The nice thing about it is I won't be stuck in some
odd car or van like in other carpooling programs. This just seems
very flexible."
The program also drew the interest of Greg Stan, a new music teacher
at West Rocks Middle School who commutes from Stratford.
"I have a car that is 10 years old and is in decent shape,"
Stan said. "I think it will stay in decent shape a little longer
if I don't have to drive an extra 45 minutes to Norwalk each day."
The NuRide program has been successful at companies such as Pitney
Bowes, where more than 100 employees have registered for the program
and cut 34,000 miles to date, said Ed Houghton, director of workforce
effectiveness at Pitney Bowes.
"The big benefit to our employees and anyone who participates
is it's extremely flexible, extremely self-directed and you get
to earn some rewards, which is a nice addition," Houghton said.
Besides saving gas money, teachers said they were excited by the
possibility of sharing their drive with another person.
"I think it would be neat to find someone to commute with,"
said Amy Nann, an incoming language arts teacher at West Rocks Middle
School. "It's very nice to have that option."
Copyright © 2005, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
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