GO Santa Cruz County is new tool for commuters and employers in Santa Cruz County! Commuters can search for carpools, direct message potential ride-matches, setup recurring trips, manage carpool members, and invite new members to join an existing carpool. Discover potential carpool matches by going to https://my.cruz511.org and creating an account.

Driving arrangements depend on the carpool.

• Carpool everyday or just a few days a week.
• Share the driving/riding or share of fuel costs.
• Driver only. Some carpools have one main driver and the others are only passengers.
• Passenger only. Specify that you wish to join a carpool as a passenger only.
• Share trip details with everyone or coworkers-only (optional)
• Gender preference. Specify if you wish to only match with commuters of your gender (optional)

Make logging trips and discovering available rewards even easier by downloading the CommuteTracker app by RideAmigos  – available in the App Store and Google Play. GO Santa Cruz County also integrates directly with Waze Carpool and Scoop.

Find a Carpool Match Now

Carpooling during COVID-19

According to a recent national survey of Scoop commuters, carpooling was ranked as the safest non-SOV alternative. If teleworking is not an option, consider forming a carpool with co-workers as you return to the workplace. The Association for Commuter Transportation recommends these tips for commuters:

• Protect yourself and others. Wear a mask or face covering while in the vehicle.
• Limit carpool size. Limit carpools to no more than one person per row of seats to create as much physical distance as possible in the car.
• Reduce exposure. Efforts should be made to ride with the same people each day and avoid “drop-in” riders.
• Limit physical contact. Carpoolers should not have any physical contact with one another and should maintain appropriate physical distancing when entering or exiting the vehicle. Require passengers to sit diagonally from each other.

Tips for Successful Carpooling

Before your first trip together, have a meeting with potential fellow carpoolers to talk about insurance, communications and personal preferences. It’s good to do this in a neutral public place like a coffee shop on a day when you don’t need to carpool – this allows you to get to know each other with no pressure.

• Determine your route & schedule. Establish the morning pickup point(s) and designate the meeting place(s) for the trip home.
• Draw up a schedule for driving responsibilities. If all members of your carpool alternate driving, decide among yourselves if you want to alternate on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
• Determine how driving expenses will be shared. If the members of your carpool do not share the driving equally, come to an understanding of how the costs will be shared and agree on a payment schedule.
• Establish policies & preferences. Smoking or nonsmoking; music and volume; eating or drinking, or talking, particularly in the morning. Your carpool will have a better chance for success if potential irritants are discussed in advance.
• Take safety measures. Ask whether the car is insured, jot down the license plate, and let someone else know who you’re traveling with.
• Be punctual. Decide how long the driver is expected to wait for latecomers. Be wary of making side trips or running errands while carpoolers are present.
• Choose a chain of communication. If a driver is ill, or will not be going to work one day, an alternate driver should be notified to ensure that other members of the carpool will have a ride. If a rider is ill or will not be working, the driver should be contacted.

An agreement to share the ride isn’t a binding contract. But if you find something’s not working, speak up and try to work it out.  Ultimately, if you decide that carpooling or vanpooling just isn’t for you, please give your partners ample notice so they can make alternate arrangements or find a replacement.