Carpooling offers relief for spiralling cost of driving in GTHA

TORONTO (February 7, 2011) –  February 7 – 11 is Carpool Week and once again, commuters surveyed by Smart Commute are citing cost savings as the number one reason they are sharing the ride to work. Forty-four per cent of those surveyed recently said they carpooled to save money, while 27 per cent said their interest in “improving the environment” was their top reason.

During Carpool Week in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Smart Commute invites commuters to visit its website, smartcommute.ca, to register for the free Carpool Zone ride-matching service. Those who aren’t convinced of the economic benefits can calculate how much money they can save by carpooling using the Savings Calculator available online. For example, two people sharing a 50 km (return) commute five days a week will each save as much as $50 on gasoline alone in one month (based on gas price of $1.10/litre). The total savings achieved by carpoolers registered with Smart Commute last year was $7.2 million.

“People are looking for ways to deal with rising fuel costs, so using our free Carpool Zone ride-matching service to find someone to share the ride and split the cost is a great place to start,” said Ryan Lanyon, Manager, Smart Commute. “With a carpooling program in place, local employers can also save money by reducing the costs associated with providing staff parking. It’s a win-win situation.”

Raj Sreenivasan carpools every day with three of his workmates, from Richmond Hill to the Wal-Mart head office in Mississauga, and says there are many benefits. For example, his group saves more than $3,000 each on road tolls alone in a year. “In winter, the reserved parking spot for our group is especially appreciated,” he said. “Since we take turns driving, I only have to drive five days each month.”

Kevin Reel explains why he started carpooling from Toronto’s Danforth area to his job at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket. “I’ve always had a strong environmental conviction that car use must be minimized. I was thus in constant conflict with that ethic when I needed to use a car to get to work. The carpool has helped address this conflict, and made my commute, and work-life balance, more enjoyable.”

Smart Commute is an initiative of Metrolinx and the municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area that works with employers to improve commuting options for their employees. To date, more than 150 employers with 350,000 commuters have signed on to the program.

For more information about carpooling in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Carpool Week, and to sign up for Carpool Zone, visit www.smartcommute.ca.

For further information:

Media Inquiries – Vanessa Thomas, (416) 874-5974 or Malon Edwards, (416) 874-5945

Employers reap rewards of “Smart Commuting”

Toronto, Canada (November 19, 2010) – At the annual Smart Commute Awards last evening, it was clear that the Smart Commute program, established in 2004, is transforming the culture of commuting across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

“Smart Commute is a concept that has clearly captured the interest of some of the most innovative organizations in the GTHA,” says Bruce McCuaig, President and CEO, Metrolinx. “They understand that we can no longer afford to ignore the huge toll that commuter gridlock is taking on our health, our economy and the environment.”

The fourth annual Smart Commute Employer of the Year awards were handed out last night at St. Lawrence Hall in Toronto. Ten workplaces, from Caledon to Hamilton to  Ajax, were recognized for their outstanding efforts in helping employees create alternatives to driving to work by walking, cycling, taking transit, carpooling and telework.  One exceptional leader – the City of Mississauga – was chosen as the Regional Employer of the Year.

“The City of Mississauga is a leading partner and a strong supporter of Smart Commute Mississauga’s initiatives,” says Janice Baker, City Manager and CAO.  “Working together, we have established an Employee Smart Commute program that encourages employees to consider and use alternative transportation options. The Carpool Zone ride-matching website, an alternative work arrangement policy, employee bike share program, discounts on transit fares and reimbursements for cycling during the day for business are some of the services available to City employees that support sustainable commuting choices.”

Other winning employers include the Town of Caledon, State Farm Insurance, aircraft landing gear manufacturer Messier-Dowty, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Philips Electronics Ltd., Enbridge Gas Distribution, vaccine producer Sanofi Pasteur, WorleyParsons Minerals & Metals-Toronto, and the Liberty Village Business Improvement Area.

Winners were selected by an independent panel of community members from various sectors across the GTHA.  Nominations were evaluated based on the employer’s commitment to the program, leadership in their communities, innovation and results.

The Awards were introduced in 2007 to officially recognize employer members or partners who have put forth exceptional effort in implementing their Smart Commute programs.  These awards recognize outstanding commitment, leadership, innovation and results.

Smart Commutes from across the GTHA nominated their top employers and 10 local Employers of the Year for 2010 were selected:

• Smart Commute Brampton-Caledon                   Town of Caledon
• Smart Commute Central York                                State Farm Insurance
• Smart Commute Durham                                          Messier-Dowty
• Smart Commute Hamilton                                       St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
• Smart Commute Markham, Richmond Hill      Philips Electronics Ltd.
• Smart Commute Mississauga                                  City of Mississauga
• Smart Commute Northeast Toronto                    Enbridge Gas Distribution
• Smart Commute North Toronto, Vaughan        Sanofi Pasteur
• Smart Commute Pearson Airport Area              WorleyParsons Minerals & Metals – Toronto
• Smart Commute Toronto-Central                         Liberty Village B.I.A.

The Regional Employer of the Year was selected from these winners to recognize the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s top Smart Commute employer.  The 2010 winner is the City of Mississauga, a member of Smart Commute Mississauga.

In addition, a Smart Commute Champion award was given to an individual or group that made an outstanding contribution to the Smart Commute program.  The 2010 recipient of this award is Open Streets Hamilton, a collaborative team of community-focused groups, NGOs, city departments and entertainers that came together to plan a series of events aimed at creating an urban park on a street closed to car traffic and open to cyclists and pedestrians.

For more details on the winning programs, visit http://www.smartcommute.ca/en/success-stories/awards.

Smart Commute Awards Review Panel

The Smart Commute Award winners were selected by an independent review panel comprised of community members from various sectors across the region.  This year’s panel was led by Metrolinx Vice-President, Policy & Planning, Leslie Woo and consisted of representatives from the following:

• Durham Sustain Ability
• Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation
• York Region Transit
• McMaster University
• Hatch (the 2009 Smart Commute Regional Employer of the Year)

Smart Commute is a program of Metrolinx and the municipalities in the GTHA.  To date, more than 150 employers with 350,000 employees have signed on to the Smart Commute program.  Services such as the Carpool Zone online ride-matching service are also available to the public at www.smartcommute.ca.

Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario.