Area carpoolers could win Botanical Garden membership
GRANITE CITY — St. Louis area commuters who share the ride to work in a carpool or vanpool could win a one-year membership to the Missouri Botanical Garden by registering with RideFinders, the St. Louis region’s free rideshare program.
The promotion is called the “Garden Giveaway Carpool Challenge” and is open to any commuter who registers a new carpool or vanpool or any existing carpool or vanpool that adds an additional rider.
For those new to carpooling, individuals can create a “Commuter Profile” at RideFinders.org and using RideFinders’ free, online ride-matching program can track down someone with whom to share the ride from a database of more than 15,000 St. Louis area commuters. Participating is free, and once commuters have registered their carpool with RideFinders each member of the carpool or vanpool will be entered into the Carpool Challenge and will also be eligible for the Guaranteed Ride Home program, giving each commuter four free taxi rides home each year in case of an emergency.
Established in 1994, RideFinders is a free public service that works with more than 900 employers in the St. Louis region to promote the benefits of sharing the ride, while helping to form carpools or vanpools through its ride-matching service. RideFinders primary goals are to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in the nine-county St. Louis region.
“There are thousands of area commuters carpooling but many are not registered with RideFinders,” said spokesperson SJ Morrison, “RideFinders wants to recognize and reward those who share the ride to work or class and provide them with an incentive to continue making an impact on the region – and what better incentive than an opportunity to enjoy the world-class Missouri Botanical Garden.”
In 2017, RideFinders carpoolers and vanpoolers collectively saved more than $3 million on vehicle costs, eliminated 1.3 million pounds of air pollution, and removed 3,059 vehicles from the roads in the St. Louis region.
The “Garden Giveaway Carpool Challenge” winner will receive a one-year membership at the Garden level from the Missouri Botanical Garden. A winner will be announced on March 31. For more information about RideFinders, the Guaranteed Ride Home program or how to participate in the “Garden Giveaway Carpool Challenge” visit RideFinders.org or on Facebook.
RideFinders is operated by Madison County Transit and is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program with support from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
