Carpooling to a greener world

05.22.2017

By: Olivia Paladino

A morning commute is solo for over 75% of Americans, according to the The New York Times. However, over the past few years, carpooling has become increasingly popular alongside the rise of social media and app use. Joseph Santella was an early adopter of the concept and jumped on the ride-sharing bandwagon over ten years ago. He first joined the community when Verizon Commuter Connections partnered with the third party tool Zimride by Enterprise to help connect Green Team members from their homes to their office locations.

“I am thrilled with the program because I believe it’s a great way to build a sense of community around our environment,” Joseph said. “I recently started ride-sharing with a younger woman who lives close by. Like many other millennials, she doesn’t want to own a car and prefers to avoid the stressful streets of Hoboken, N.J.”

Ride-sharing can help ease traffic related stress, save on parking and fuel expenses, and foster a sense of community — all while working to reduce the company's collective carbon footprint.

"I've ride-shared with five coworkers throughout my career and am proud to be a part of this green program. I hope more people will continue to join and keep this reliable network going," Joseph said. 

Ride-sharing without drivers

Beyond today's car-pooling community, a future could include ride-sharing services without drivers. Our Ventures team is investing in the future of urban transportation with companies like Renovo and Veniam. Looking out 10 to 15 years, vehicles will be driverless and need to rely on new connectivity paradigms, safe and secure data orchestration, and fleet management software.

Verizon Share solutions for today's sharing economy

Investing now will help us prepare for the coming generation of Automated Mobility on Demand (AMoD) fleets. In addition, Verizon also provides solutions designed to take advantage of today's sharing economy through [Verizon Share solutions][4]. The technology is being leveraged by transportation and fleet businesses, cities and communities, construction companies, university and corporate campuses and others.

1 car share vehicle can remove 9 to 13 vehicles from the road.

We can have a direct impact on our surroundings by simply changing a few of our everyday habits. A 2010 report from UC Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center found that one car-share vehicle removed 9 to 13 vehicles from the road. As we approach the summer months, consider using a ride-sharing service in your travel plans. And it's never too late to reconsider your everyday commuting routine, either.