March 4, 2009

BoilerRide ready to aid carpooling, ridesharing

Once users log in to BoilerRide and create a profile, the GreenRide software suggests carpooling partners -- other faculty, staff, and students who live close by or along the same commute route, and who have similar work or class schedules.

Preferred parking or other incentives may be offered to those who commit to regular carpooling. News about incentives will be published in coming months.

In addition to carpooling for daily commutes, GreenRide provides an Event/Trip Matching feature that allows users to match up for one-time rides such as going to an off-campus event or game, sharing a ride home on weekends, or traveling to the airport for school breaks.

The GreenRide application accessed through BoilerRide is easy to use and available at no cost. Currently, only faculty, staff, and students with valid career accounts at the West Lafayette campus (and affiliates) may use BoilerRide. Carpooling for regional campuses will be implemented at a later date.

Starting to use BoilerRide involves three simple steps:

1. Go to BoilerRide's Web site at www.purdue.edu/transportation/boilerride.htm.

2. Click on the "Sign Up Today" link on the left side of the page.

3. Log in with Purdue career account and password. That will take the user to Purdue's GreenRide application site.

Clicking on the Accept button puts the entered name, PUID, e-mail address, gender, and faculty/staff or student designation into the system.

Establishing an account profile is the means to customize individual preferences and schedules and to find a carpool or rideshare match.

Carpooling offers many benefits, including saving money, which is important to everyone in today's challenging economic environment. The GreenRide site provides a convenient savings calculator for carpoolers to calculate their own savings based on where they live. Carpooling also helps reduce Purdue's carbon footprint by decreasing the number of vehicles traveling to and from campus each day.

The BoilerRide Web site has additional information about the carpool and rideshare service. That includes frequently asked questions, safety tips and etiquette, alternative transportation information, and contact information for general or technical questions.

Assistance or questions about BoilerRide may be found by clicking on the Support link for more details. Staff and faculty may contact one of Transportation Service's trained staff at 49-42112 or BoilerRide@purdue.edu. Students may submit questions to Student Services at vpss@purdue.edu.

Reports of abuse or misuse of Purdue's information technology resources should be made to abuse@purdue.edu.

For career account assistance, contact the departmental information technology staff.