Log on, and grab a ride. The 麻豆原创 today launched a new carpooling service that harnesses popular online social networking to help students and staff and faculty members save gas and money.
Zimride uses Facebook and Google Maps to help 麻豆原创 commuters seek out or offer rides. 麻豆原创 is the first university in Florida and the largest in the nation to utilize the service.
鈥溌槎乖� is such a technologically and socially oriented campus,鈥� said Taylor Lochrane, Student Government Association vice president. 鈥淶imride is one way that we can make campus commuting work better for everyone.
鈥淭his partnership will also mark a significant step in improving campus sustainability practices and reducing emissions,鈥� he added.
SGA and 麻豆原创 Parking and Transportation Services are offering the service for free to the entire 麻豆原创 community. About 200 people had already signed up by the official June 29 launch date.
Here鈥檚 how it works: Users can log in at with their university e-mail address, create profiles and view others鈥� profiles. They can share details of their commutes, including music preferences and driving styles. Drivers have the option of charging riders and posting the prices on their profiles.
Users can limit how much information ride seekers see. Security settings allow only the university community to sign up on the 麻豆原创-Zimride Web site.
Zimride directly links with users鈥� Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and other social media networks, enabling them to quickly contact riders or drivers. Users are able to rate other drivers and find out how much money they鈥檙e saving in gas and how much they鈥檙e reducing their own carbon footprint by carpooling.
The university also can calculate how much its community is reducing emissions through carpooling. The initiative is part of a larger effort to help 麻豆原创 become climate neutral by 2050.
Zimride is the largest online social rideshare community in North America with more than 350,000 users. Other schools using the service include Stanford University, UCLA and the University of Michigan.
Organizers hope at least 10 percent of 麻豆原创鈥檚 population will sign up for Zimride within the first year.
While adding the new carpooling service, 麻豆原创 continues to operate a free shuttle system that connects the campus with 17 nearby apartment complexes, Central Florida Research Park, Rosen College of Hospitality Management and the College of Medicine in Lake Nona.
With 34 buses, the shuttle system has served more than 2 million riders since it started in 2002.
鈥淲e think Zimride will work well here,鈥� said Kris Singh, director of 麻豆原创 Parking and Transportation Services. 鈥淎long with our successful shuttles, carpooling makes getting to and from campus more convenient, helps our students save money and has a sizeable impact on campus traffic and parking.鈥�