Car Pools Available for Armstrong County Commuters

by Olivia Wasilko

Sharing a ride just got more accessible for everyday workers and students in Armstrong County. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is now sponsoring a carpool organization for commuters who share a common route, says spokeswoman Lisa Kay Schweyer.

“I like to think of what we do as a dating service for commuters - helping them find out what kinds of options are available to help them get to work or school,” said Schweyer.

“What we like to do is present a menu of options for folks to look at. So we promote transit, we help organize carpools, and we help people who are interested in biking by putting them with those who are more experienced in riding their bike to work. We also operate a vanpool service which is larger groups of people who share their commute.”

The vanpool service is especially helpful for those who work in areas such as Pittsburgh and travel in larger groups. While a carpool ride is usually limited in riders, vanpools can carry up to 15 people.

Not all commuters have to go to Pittsburgh, though. Armstrong County residents can use the service to ride to counties such as Butler or Indiana.

“If they live in Armstrong County, they can go any direction they want to go. We really encourage people to check it out because they might be surprised that there are people actually making similar trips to the ones that they’re making,” said Schweyer.

Finding out if others share a route like yours is easy. The service’s website offers free registration to anyone who is curious about the program. Once you are in the database, you can get in touch with Armstrong County residents who have similar commutes.

Assistance in organizing your group is also available.

“We’re here to help walk them through that process. We’ve been doing it a long time, so we can hold everybody’s hand through it and get them started,” Schweyer said.

“We even provide you with some questions that you can have during a conversation, such as who would drive, how you might share costs, and on the flip side of that, we also try to work with employers through the counties to let them know that this might be something that can help employees or prospective job candidates get to their locations as well.

“One other thing that might be of interest is that we also offer an emergency ride-home service, so people can get home if they’re participating in a carpool or vanpool. We have it as a reimbursement system so people can get themselves home however is quickest for them, and then we just help reimburse them and it’s up to four rides a year or $100 worth of rides; whichever comes first.”

To get more information about routes, pricing, and insurance coverage, you can visit their website or call toll-free at 888-819-6110.

 

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