The example of a recent ridesharing demonstration project in bellevue, washington, is used to explore how money, convenience, and time costs influence the commute mode decision in low-density office parks. Commuters perceived that driving alone was low cost and ridesharing was high cost. The easy ride project attempted to lower the perceived costs of ridesharing and transit. Key features of the easy ride project were area-wide transportation coordinators who offered personalized commuter assistance; an intensive marketing campaign; vanpool discounts; and taxi rides home for ridesharers who missed their ride. Despite easy ride attempts to lower the perveived cost of ridesharing, most project sites exhibited no measurable change in modesplit over 2 years' time. But easy ride also found that imposing costs on solo drivers can have a dramatic effect on mode split. The report concludes that the most effective approach to increasing ridesharing and transit rates may be to raise the cost of driving alone while at the same time offering incentives that lower the costs of ridesharing. But regulating suburban employers in order to impose costson suburban drivers is politically difficult. Until such costs can be imposed, public agencies have little choice but to pursue voluntary ridesharing programs to control traffic congestion. However, to increase ridesharing and transit use significantly, the incentives ofvoluntary programs may have to be substantial. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1321, Rideshare programs: evaluation of effectiveness, trip reduction programs, demand management, and commuter attitudes 1991.
Abstract