COVID-19 and Commuting: Carpool as a Solution

As your company develops new workplace and transportation protocols and procedures, it is essential to assess the impact of your current commute program offerings.

Safety, reliability, and equity are three priorities that should drive programming changes as your company develops a comprehensive return to work plan. The following questions should be top of mind:

• “Do my employees have a safe and reliable way to get to and from work?”
• “What are my employees’ options to get to work if they don’t have access to a car?”
• “How can I provide support to employees who have had to change their commute due to COVID-19?”

Benefits of Carpool

During the COVID-19 pandemic, carpooling can be a great, safe commute option that is more accessible to employees than other commute modes like transit, driving alone, or biking. If your company has limited on-site parking availability, carpooling can help prevent a surge in demand for those spots.

• Lower density commute mode compared to transit means increased control over who employees share space with
• Carpoolers can share parking and cost of gas
• Accessible to employees with a variety of commute distance
• Available to employees with limited or no car access
• Reduce parking needs
• Reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality

Tips for Sharing a Ride

Whether they are a rider or driver in a carpool, these are steps your employees can take to keep themselves safe while sharing a ride.

1. Don’t ride or drive sick
2. Wear a mask
3. Passengers sit in the back seat to maximize distance between passenger and driver
4. Limit number of passengers (suggested maximum of 2 people per vehicle)
5. Wipe down car seats, door handles, and seatbelts with disinfectant after every ride
6. Refrain from touching the car and items inside the car
7. Let passengers handle their own personal items, luggage, and groceries

Resources

• Scoop’s Safe Commute Toolkit
  • transportation mode evaluation matrix
  • manager’s discussion guide
  • employee pulse survey
• Why Carpooling is a Safe Commute Option - Guidelines
• Georgia Commute Options - log carpool commutes, earn rewards