Carpool network hopes to ease pain of high gas prices

The commute to campus is a dreaded affair for many Eastern students who make the trek with only their car radio to keep them company. Students feel the pain at the pump as they routinely pay more than $3.50 per gallon for the gas to get them from their homes to campus. They continue to feel the pain as they circle a parking lot for 10 or 15 minutes, burning gasoline and holes in their wallets. EKU is hoping to ease the strain with its new ridesharing program, EKU Rides.

EKU Rides is a carpooling network sponsored by the university in an effort to alleviate the stresses, both financial and environmental, that come with commuting to and from campus. It is aimed both at regular commuters and one-time riders, such as students seeking a ride home for spring break. And while other local ridesharing networks exist and are accessible to students, EKU Rides is specific to the Eastern community.

Beverly Burrus, chair of the Eastern staff council, said there are currently five ride-sharing parking spots in the Martin parking lot, and 10 in the Alumni Coliseum parking lot.

The five spots in Martin are reserved for E-zone employee parking permits, and the ten spots in Alumni are for A-zone commuter permits. More spaces will be added if the program proves to be a success, Burrus said.

Burrus said in order to park in the EKU Rides reserved spots, participants have to display one parking permit on the rearview mirror, and leave at least one additional permit displayed on the dashboard of their vehicle. That means at least two riders must have valid Eastern parking permits.

"We have a lot of commuter students who will benefit from it," Burrus said. "Faculty and staff will benefit, too, of course."

Eastern students, faculty and staff who want to use EKU Rides can create an account using their university e-mail address, then post their schedule or use the search feature to find another person with a schedule that matches. They can then contact that person via e-mail, phone or Facebook.

Helping the environment is one reason some EKU students and faculty are signing up. Jodi Peters, an Eastern faculty member who has already signed up for the program, said her focus is limiting the number of cars on the road, but helping other people with difficult financial situations is a nice too. She also said the program was a great way to meet people.

"It's a nice chance to cross traditional boundaries between faculty, students and staff," she said.

Burrus also emphasized the social benefits.

"It's always more pleasant to have someone to ride with instead of going home after that night class at 10 p.m. by yourself," she said.

Peters said the network is extremely user-friendly.

"I like how it's set up," Peters said. "I signed up in like five minutes."

Burrus said being user-friendly was a main goal of the program, and one of the reasons the university selected the online networking company Zimride to set it up.

"Other programs weren't as user-friendly," Burrus said. "Zimride is doing a great job running it. They've been a dream to work with."

She also said the incorporation of Facebook was something that drew EKU to Zimride.

"It just offers more because of Facebook," she said. "That's the name of the game these days."

The site displays information about a driver's car, typical driving speed, music preference, music volume, and smoking preference.

Burrus said the information is designed to make all participants feel both safe and comfortable with their fellow riders and drivers.

Burrus said one advantage of using EKU Rides is being able to pair up with faculty or staff you might already know. "Facebook is also a great way to check them out beforehand," Burrus said.

Burrus said the idea for EKU Rides originated in staff meetings, when university faculty began to ask about better ways to get to campus. She said it was clear many of the difficulties the faculty experienced while commuting were the same difficulties experienced by students.

EKU Rides, Burrus said, is the solution to those difficulties. It is a collaborative effort of the President's Office, Staff Council, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, Parking and Transportation, University Advancements, Printing Services, and the Eastern Committee for Responsible Environmental Stewardship.

Burrus said the funding for the program came directly from the President's Initiative Fund.

In his inaugural address, Eastern president Doug Whitlock said the bottom line of the program is "stretching your hard-earned dollar while.helping the environment."

Burrus said the program is a win-win situation for both students and the university, and that she's looking forward to its success.

"We just want to provide great savings for the environment, great savings from dependency on foreign oil, and great savings on pocketbooks," Burrus said. "The timing is certainly right for this.