The Foothill Rideshare project has received a 10,000 dollar grant from the Amador Air District.  Renee Chapman gave a presentation to the Amador Air District Board of Directors at their meeting on Tuesday.  Chapman says that according to the 2000 Census, approximately 33 percent of Amador County’s workers travel out of the county for work, and that most of those commuters travel in SOV’s, or single-occupant vehicles.

The project’s solution is to form vanpools.  Chapman says that many people are wary of forming a vanpool because other riders are liable for another rider’s share of cost if they “drop out of” the program.  The 10,000 dollar grant will subsidize the vanpool program and pay for up to two seats of a vanpool for up to three months if a rider leaves that vanpool.  Chapman says the purpose of this program is to “get cars off the road” and “cut emissions.” Foothill Rideshare has been operating for about a year and had about 220 people sign up during their pilot program. 

Now, that number has increased to about 340.  They are hoping to get the word out, and will be installing signs along commuter thoroughfares, such as Latrobe Rd. In addition to vanpooling, Amador County offers many other solutions to commuting, such as carpooling, Amador Regional Transit System, walking, and of course, the good old fashioned bicycle. For more information on joining a vanpool, or other commuting alternatives, visit the Foothill Rideshare project’s website at www.FoothillRideshare.com.