Between gas, parking, insurance, maintenance and repairs, driving your car can get pretty expensive. Add rush-hour traffic to the mix, and it can be stressful too. Luckily there’s a simple way to save yourself money and stress—just share the driving responsibilities with someone else. Here are three easy ways you can rideshare in Virginia:

• CARPOOLING

Take turns driving with people who live and work near you. Carpool with just one person and your auto expenses are cut in half! Ride with more people and you’ll save even more.

• VANPOOLING

It’s like carpooling, but with more people in a bigger vehicle. In many vanpools, one person does all the driving and the riders just pay a fare. With van-leasing programs, you don’t even need to own a van to participate.

• NURIDE

Join the nation’s first ridesharing network that lets you earn free rewards every time you share a ride. It’s like carpooling, but completely flexible and commitment-free. Plus every ride earns you miles good for gift certificates to shops, restaurants and more. NuRide is currently available in the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Richmond regions.

BENEFITS

• Save money—when you share a ride, you share commuting costs
• Reduce stress—stop fighting traffic every day
• When you're not the one driving, you’ll have extra time to work on your PDA, read the paper or take a quick nap
• With more than one person in your car or van, you can avoid congestion by driving in the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes located in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia
• By taking cars off the road, you’ll decrease pollution and our dependence on foreign oil
• Improve your commute—and earn free rewards—with NuRide

511 TRAVEL TIPS

• Starting or joining a carpool, vanpool or NuRide is easier than you might think—every region in Virginia has an organization that can answer any questions you have and help you get started for free! Here’s who to contact:
• Carpooling/Vanpooling
• Central
• Northern Neck Rideshare
• Richmond Ridefinders
  
• Hampton Roads
• TRAFFIX
• Middle Peninsula Rideshare
• Northern
• Arlington County Commuter Services
• Alexandria Rideshare
• Commuter Connections
• Fairfax County RideSources
• GW Ride Connections
• Loudoun County Commuter Services
• PRTC OmniRide
• Rappahannock Rapidan Commuter Services
• Northwestern
• RideShare
• Valley Commuter Assistance Program
  
• Southwestern
• Vanpooling
• All regions – Any of the commuter assistance agencies listed above
• NuRide
• Northern
• Hampton Roads
• If you need a place to meet up with your carpool or vanpool, try Park & Ride lots—secure, convenient and free commuter parking lots all over Virginia
• Many urban areas in Virginia—like Hampton Roads, Richmond and Northern Virginia—offer a Guaranteed Ride Program, which provides you a reliable ride back to your point of origin at no cost or a nominal fee if you ever have to unexpectedly leave work early or stay at work late