Knoxville group encourages carpooling, bus riding

Knoxville group encourages carpooling, bus riding

March 9, 2005

By CATHARYN CAMPBELL
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Gas costs nearly $2.00 a gallon around Knoxville but there are other community programs in place to help you save while getting around town.

"If it's possible, I'm going to walk or ride the trolley," Lindsay Cole says. "I'm going to do that because it really cuts into your income like going out to eat or clothes or anything you'd spend extra money on."

A publicly funded program called Smart Trips promotes alternatives to driving alone. People are encouraged to use one of the 25 KAT bus routes, share rides or even walk to work. '

Click here to visit the Smart Trips web site.

"If you carpool one day a week, you're going to save 20 percent on your transportation costs whether it's transportation or gas," says transportation planner Kelley Segars. A ride on a KAT bus only costs $1.00.

Organizers say a person who rides solo and has a 30 minute round trip commute to work will pay more than $3,000 for gas a year. They also say people who carpool regularly can cut that expense in half.

The group is dedicated to helping find people to share rides. "We put in your schedule, what time you work, what time you leave and where you work and approximately the same schedule and the same sort of preferences," Segars says.

The Smart Trips program has a ride matching data base that helps you find others who want to carpool to work.

People who participate in Smart Trips are also eligible for the Guaranteed Ride Home Program. That means if you work late or there's an emergency, you'll still get to where you need to be.