Students looking for a ride to the mountains can search online for a car pool facilitated by the newly established Mountain Pool.

The online tool enables students to search for available cars and convenient times to travel together.

The cost for participating in any car pool is at the discretion of the driver. Students may sign up to participate in the car pool – as driver or rider – online at www.du.edu/transcenter.

“A lot of students don’t have their own cars, so carpooling is a great way to reduce traffic on I-70,”  said  graduate Francesca Aguirre-Wong, who created the program.  “The main goal of Mountain Pool is to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles out on the road.”

The first 20 students to register for the car pool get $10 Target gift certificates. The gift cards are intended to serve as an incentive for students to get involved, she said.

While Mountain Pool began a month ago, a faculty program car pool service called Drive Less DU was launched in 2004.

Other colleges already use a similar car pool program such as Stanford University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.  According to Aguirre-Wong, Stanford’s car pool program was popular because participants acquired parking credit on campus.  At CU Boulder, students utilize a campus bus that makes five stops at popular ski resorts, including A-Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek. Mountain Pool may use similar  services in the future, depending on interest, said Aguirre-Wong.

Although the primary purpose of Mountain Pool is to transport students to and from the mountains, Aguirre-Wong said that students can utilize the service to go elsewhere as well.

“If you want to go to Sunflower Market, Mountain Pool allows students to make the trip,” she said. “Mountain Pool is geared toward the many students at Denver who do not have their own car or do not have easy access to a car.”

However, Aguirre-Wong said Mountain Pool is not a ta

xi services.  Students must coordinate mutually convenient rides with drivers utilizing the online tools available through the service.   

Fliers have been posted around campus advertising Mountain Pool, and more information can be obtained at the University of Denver’s Transportation Center.    

       

If you have questions, call 303-377-7086 or e-mail commute@transolutions.org.