San Francisco Bay Carpoolers Go Toll-Free
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 06, 2014 -- Following commuter enthusiasm for its recently-announced Bay Bridge toll rebate initiative, Carma has opened up its program to include all bridges in the Bay Area including the Golden Gate, Richmond-San Rafael, San Mateo-Hayward, Dumbarton, Benicia and Carquinez bridges. This program reimburses drivers for bridge tolls as an additional incentive for Bay Area commuters to carpool.
Bay Area commuters waste more than half a million empty seats each and every day, causing increased pollution, slower travel times and an enormous burden on our transportation network. The Carma Carpooling smartphone app connects people traveling in the same direction to work so they can share their commute. This expansion to other Bay Area Bridges will make it possible for drivers to receive rebates on toll fees through the Carma app when they carpool in the HOV toll lane across one of the bridges.
“The commute conversation urgently needs to focus more on occupancy” says Paul Steinberg, VP of Business Development at Carma. “It is widely accepted that building more roads is not the solution - in fact, in many ways it simply propagates the problem. Carma is taking on the single biggest factor that brings our highways to a grinding halt every single day - ‘riderless’ cars.”
Under the terms of the program, carpools using the Carma app can receive a full rush hour toll rebate ($2.50, or $4 on the Golden Gate) for valid carpools crossing any Bay Area bridge. To
participate, drivers must follow three easy steps:
1. Download the Carma app at http://www.carmacarpool.com
2. Register their FasTrak® details in the app
3. Ensure that passengers are also using the app to log carpools
Rebates will be instantly credited to each driver’s account after completing each trip. Full promotional rules can be found at http://www.carmacarpool.com/sfbay.
Carma drivers do not do so for profit; rather they simply offset costs by sharing their car with others going the same way for work. Riders pay $0.20 per mile on average, ensuring drivers remain well within the Federal mileage reimbursement limit of $0.56 per mile. Carma has worked closely with several public agencies, establishing carpooling programs in Norway, Ireland, Texas, Washington D.C. and California. Since launching in the San Francisco Bay Area, nearly 6,000 people have taken trips with Carma, covering almost 90,000 miles.
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About Carma
Carma’s smartphone app instantly connects people who are going in the same direction for work, making commuting faster, safer and more affordable. Unlike Transportation Network Company apps (for-hire drivers) that put more cars on the road, Carma matches people with other commuters from their neighborhood, reducing the number of cars on the road and making millions of empty seats available for good use. Carma’s carpool approach is in line with its mission to reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions and the cost of car ownership. Download Carma by visiting the App Store or Google Play, or visit http://www.carmacarpool.com
Kimberly Angell, Wish Public Relations, (415) 471-7272, [email protected]
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