Reducing the number of solo commuters in and around cities and the emissions associated with going to work and the store make a positive difference for the environment and human health. Meet Nanci Fitzgerald, President and CEO of The Rideshare Company. This nonprofit organization develops ridesharing services for companies, governments, and residential facilities. Founded in the 1980s, The Rideshare Company has created rideshare programs that, between July 1994 to December 2022, provided more than 20 million trips, eliminating 699 million miles traveled. Ridesharing reduced the cost of maintaining its vehicles by $13 million and saved 32.9 million gallons of gas, which prevented 354,475 tons of CO2 emissions. Forty years of ridesharing history demonstrates how the potential for sharing assets, like cars and busses, has evolved. There are many alternatives to ownership of things that are used only part of the day or even less frequently. If we can do a better job of organizing shared travel, the potential benefits can be applied in other domains, such as tools, recreational vehicles, and more.
The U.S. Census reports that the average commute time in the nation was 27.6 minutes in 2019, the last year before COVID-19 disrupted lives and changed work and travel. Almost 10% of workers told the Census in 2019 that they traveled more than an hour to work. Companies and governments are asking people to return to the office, and too often, they drive alone in a car. There are better ways to travel involving ridesharing and organized commuter programs, such as those provided on and around a corporate campus. The challenge is organizing those programs and finding participants, which is the Rideshare Company’s forte. You can learn more about The Rideshare Company at https://www.rideshare.com/
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Editor’s Note: This episode of Sustainability In Your Ear was originally released on November 10, 2023.