https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION/Commuters get online for rideshares

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION/Commuters get online for rideshares

An internet-based service is playing matchmaker in Redmond, Wash. But instead of pairing lonely hearts, it matches single commuters. Ridequest.com, a
  • Written by Christina Couret
  • 1st January 2000

An internet-based service is playing matchmaker in Redmond, Wash. But instead of pairing lonely hearts, it matches single commuters. Ridequest.com, a self-serve, online system, unites motorists commuting to local companies with others traveling to and from the same area at similar times.

The free service was launched in July by the Greater Redmond Transportation Management Association (GRTMA), a consortium of 170 area employers – including the city and the Lake Washington School District – that works to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles on area highways. Puget Sound Systems Group, Lacey, Wash., developed the $290,000 system using mapping technology from Redlands, Calif.-based ESRI. It was funded by the state and federal DOTs.

“We now provide ride-matching services by phone, by mail, by fax and even e-mail, so this jump to the Internet is the next step,” says King County Executive Ron Sims. “Internet technology now makes it much easier to share a ride, and save money and time.”

Interested commuters register with Ridequest.com and receive a password. They type in their e-mail addresses, work schedules, and business and home addresses, and view a map displaying the commute. The program calculates the distance traveled to and from the workplace and builds a search radius to locate potential ridesharing partners. Matches are indicated on the map with a lettered dot, and the program generates a list of corresponding commuters.

Users can send a pre-written “rideshare wanted” e-mail to any or all of the people on the match list. Commuters can revisit the site (www.ridequest.com) at any time to update or delete their records; change work schedules, pickup and drop-off locations; and find new matches. All users are required to revisit the site at least once every 90 days to verify that their information is current, according to Donald Loseff, GRTMA Ridequest.com project manager.

Because the service requires users to enter some personal information, GRTMA included security measures, Loseff says. For example, users’ e-mail addresses must be verified during registration before they can proceed with locating a rideshare partner. Users also are not required to enter exact home addresses; many just enter an intersection or street name, he explains.

“We encourage people to use their work information – e-mail, phone number, etc.,” Loseff says. “We also suggest that people meet ahead of time, perhaps at their office.”

Match lists include only a person’s name, e-mail address and city or neighborhood. GRTMA has not heard of problems or security issues with Ridequest.com, Loseff says.

Currently, Ridequest.com is being used by more than 1,100 commuters to locate rideshare partners. GRTMA officials expect that as many as 5,000 commuters will be on the system in the next few years. More than 35,000 employees work at companies affiliated with GRTMA.

“Ridequest.com is cutting edge,” says Redmond Mayor Rosemarie Ives. “It connects people who work in Redmond, while helping to reduce gridlock and impro ve air quality.”

Tags:

Most Recent


  • How capital improvement project prioritization helps secure infrastructure funding
    Trillions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding have been made available to state and local governments across the U.S. since early 2020. This money has been allocated to address the nation’s aging infrastructure, much of which is at or near the end of its useful life, and to bolster the U.S. economy in the wake […]
  • Climate bill lauded; predicted to reduce nation's carbon footprint by 40% within decade
    Amid yet another punishing heat wave, the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, which was approved along party lines Sunday by the Senate, represents a historic step in the nation’s fight against climate change by drastically reducing its climate footprint—while injecting billions of dollars into cities and counties. Along with provisions that cap prescription drug costs for […]
  • Partnership launches no-cost wastewater monitoring service for local governments
    Of all the important lessons cities and counties have learned since the pandemic began, high up on the list is the value of working together. No one community can solve cross-jurisdictional challenges alone—that’s a concept that’s at the heart of a new initiative launched by the National League of Cities (NLC) and WastewaterSCAN that brings […]
  • water
    Investing in America’s onsite wastewater treatment systems for equity and sustainability
    Ensuring that all U.S. households have access to clean water and sanitation will require a re-alignment of resources and investment, not only for centralized wastewater treatment systems but for decentralized ones too. Nearly 20 percent of America’s households today depend on onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS or onsite systems), but only about 2 percent of […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • NLC releases State of Cities 2021 report
  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions

White papers


Modern American Perspectives on Law Enforcement

14th July 2022

Reimagine the Employee Experience

12th July 2022

How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

How capital improvement project prioritization helps secure infrastructure funding dlvr.it/SWLQB7

9th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Climate bill lauded; predicted to reduce nation’s carbon foot print by 40% within decade dlvr.it/SWHGQL

8th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Partnership launches no-cost wastewater monitoring service for local governments dlvr.it/SW7N74

5th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Investing in America’s onsite wastewater treatment systems for equity and sustainability dlvr.it/SW4Mb9

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

With passage of PACT Act, veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants dlvr.it/SW4KTg

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

The 5 Procurement Superpowers Shaping the Future of Public Procurement dlvr.it/SW4DqT

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

This exclusive whitepaper presents the most recent nationwide data that give an unbiased view of how residents real… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

3rd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Capitalizing on hybrid work, these 10 cities are ready to take advantage dlvr.it/SW0cjT

3rd August 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X