Carpool & Vanpool
Alternative Commuting Options
Carpool
Carpooling consists of two or more people sharing a ride from their neighborhood to their place of employment. Using their own vehicles, carpoolers often share the responsibility of driving, or one drives and the passengers share the cost of gas and/or parking expenses.
This easily accessible and effective form of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) has many benefits and is most appealing for people who commute at least 10 miles and whose trip to work takes at least 30 minutes. Carpoolers can take advantage of numerous "Carpool/High Occupancy" lanes on 1-25 and Santa Fe in the Denver Metro area, and on roads around Colorado that offer those services. To begin with, carpooling can reduce congestion on roadways. Every person who opts to carpool over driving a single-occupancy vehicle reduces the number of cars on the road. Carpooling also reduces greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that driving a gasoline-powered light-duty vehicle emits 0.976 lbs of CO2 per mile. Therefore, a 100-mile round-trip into the mountains emits 97 lbs of CO2. Suppose four friends opted to carpool into the mountains instead of driving separately. In that case, they collectively reduce their carbon footprint by 291 lbs! Carpooling also reduces wear and tear on the transportation network. Less wear and tear means CDOT does not have to resurface and stripe highways as frequently, leading to fewer construction delays. Finally, carpooling saves people money and fuel, parking, and toll costs.
Vanpool
Vanpooling provides an alternative to carpooling and public transportation by offering options on traveling by van. Vanpools are most successful when six to 15 passengers that live and work within a small radius of each other commute together.
Vanpools can be owned by the driver. They also can be sponsored by an employer or a third-party program sponsored by a public agency, such as Mountain Metro Rides, VanGo or Way to Go.
- Denver Metro Area: Way to Go
- North Front Range: VanGo
- Colorado Springs: Mountain Metro Rides
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Ski resorts and Universities in Colorado offer incentives to carpool:
College/University/Organization Incentives University of Colorado at Colorado Springs CCS offers priority parking spaces in lot 224 for groups with a valid UCCS parking permit.
(groups of two or more)
Colorado State University Fort Collins CSU will coordinate with carpoolers to help split the cost of permits or allow multiple vehicles on one permit (so long as only one of them is parked at a time). More info on that is available here: https://pts.colostate.edu/shared_permits/ Arapahoe Basin Ski Area - Limited priority carpool parking spaces
- Discounted lift tickets with a car of 4+
- Special TreadShare promotion - the rider with the most carpool rides on the app will automatically win a season pass for next year, an additional pass will be drawn in a raffle. Each carpool trip to A-basin counts as an entry.
City of Aspen City of Aspen has dedicated carpool (2+) spots with a daily permit. Aspen Snowmass Aspen Snowmass’s Two Creeks Lot and Lot C are free parking for cars with four or more people in the vehicle. Breckenridge $5 parking discount for cars with four or more people Copper Mountain Premier parking in Alpine lot for 4+ passengers on select days. Eldora - $10 parking fee for Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOVs) on weekends and holidays.
- Priority parking lot for cars with 3 or more people
- Free parking for cars with two or more people on weekends and holidays
Keystone Premier parking section for cars with four or more.
