Ridesharing – which is simply two or more passengers traveling together in the same vehicle – remains a favorite among smart commuters for good reason. It’s one of the most convenient ways to save time and money while reducing stress. Different ridesharing options make it easy to find a solution that suits your individual needs.

Carpooling helps commuters share rides and driving responsibilities while cutting commuting costs and saving time. Best of all, it’s a breeze! All you need is one other driver with a similar commuting pattern and you’re ready to go. If you need help finding someone to carpool with, there is a free ridematching platform offered by Commuter Connections and local Rideshare Coordinators are available to match commuters to existing carpools. CarpoolNow – a mobile app that uses your location to suggestion carpool pick-up points – is another great commuting resource.

Vanpooling is similar to carpooling but might be a better option for some commuters. Vanpools have between 4 to 15 passengers. Unlike carpools, vanpools are treated as public transit for tax purposes, which means that employers can offer it as a benefit to employees. While passengers are not required to use vanpool every day, they will not receive the maximum tax benefit unless they use it at least 11 days a month (that’s just three times per week on average).

Check out our Carpool and Vanpool Toolkit to learn more.

Additional offerings like the Guaranteed Ride Home program and Park & Ride facilities have made it even easier to participate in ridesharing. If you’d like to talk to your employer about starting a ridesharing program, our easy-to-use template can help.