The Regional Rideshare Program and its partners will launch a new campaign called "Rideshare Thursdays" in October to encourage greater use of carpools, vanpools, bicycles and transit when commuting, rather than driving alone to work.

"When individuals leave their cars at home or share the ride, they can save money and time on their commute and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution," said Karen Bakar, Rideshare Thursdays Coordinator. "We’re hoping they’ll try a non-car or rideshare mode at least once a week and see how easy and stress-free it is."

Beginning in October, individuals who complete a Rideshare Thursdays pledge form to try carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling or transit, rather than driving alone, will be entered into a drawing to win a ski trip for two to Lake Tahoe. Entries for the drawing must be submitted by December 31, 2003.

Rideshare Thursdays pledge forms and commute assistance are available through the "rideshare" section of www.511.org. The rideshare pages provide a host of information about carpooling and vanpooling and a free online ridematching system that provides commuters a quick, easy way to find others interested in sharing their commute in a carpool or vanpool or by bicycling. With just a few clicks of a mouse, commuters can find and contact commuters who travel to and from the same area and who share the same work schedule. Those without Internet access can call 511 and say "rideshare" for assistance.

To promote use of rideshare modes year-round, many groups offer financial incentives and/or subsidies for individuals who try carpooling, vanpooling or transit. For a list of incentives offered around the region, go to www.511.org, click "rideshare."

Organizers hope the campaign will encourage commuters who drive alone to try an alternative and maybe stick with it. Approximately 18 percent of Bay Area commuters (or 600,570 people) currently carpool as their primary commute mode. Approximately 8 percent of commuters who try a new mode continue to use it. In the Bay Area, that would translate into nearly 194,000 solo drivers switching to a new commute mode.