Dude, where’s my ride? RideFinders helps RVA find vanpools & transit

Many Richmond commuters drive just because it’s their default behavior, or because they’re not sure they have any other options. RideFinders matches people with similar commutes to an array of different transit options.

As Richmond’s only non-profit ridesharing and transportation demand management (TDM) service, RideFinders plays a critical role in helping commuters make smarter decisions when navigating our existing transportation infrastructure. And the service only wants to expand its reach.

RideFinders began as Richmond’s response to the gas shortages of the 1980s. First housed under the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission (today PlanRVA), in 1998 they fell under the umbrella of the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC).

In a heavily car-dependent Commonwealth, RideFinders often relies on its vanpooling services to help achieve its mission of moving “more commuters in fewer vehicles throughout the Central Virginia region.”

RideFinders aggregates interested commuters based on where they live and where they work to create groups of commuters up to 15 people to rent and drive vans together to and from work each day.

Without their own fleet of vehicles, RideFinders works with clients and three private vendors to negotiate year-long leases on the vans. Currently, Ridefinders has 143 registered vanpools which means each day 1,169 fewer vehicles travel Central Virginia’s roads.

The origins and destinations of the 1,305 commuters RideFinders serve each year may surprise you. While plenty of vans stay within the bounds of Central Virginia like those that travel from Chester or Colonial Heights to downtown Richmond, many more either travel here from farther afield, or depart from our Commonwealth’s capital to jobs further north that offer employees transit benefit vouchers to find a greener, less traffic-inducing way to commute, according to Von Tisdale, Executive Director of RideFinders.

Vans from Hampton, Newport News, and Williamsburg comprise a sizeable contingent which speaks to the lack of transit options on Virginia’s Upper Peninsula and may explain the success of new rail service better connecting Hampton Roads with Richmond.

The River City aside, the top destinations for vanpools are all military installations, inside and outside the Captial Beltway. The position of the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, and the Washington Navy Yard toward the top of the list demonstrates a DIY, car-culture solution to the lack of rail connections between our Commonwealth’s capital and that of our nation’s capital.

Focusing on the vehicles, trips, or the 87,847,359 passenger miles RideFinders has spared Virginia’s roads over the past three years, however, belies the service’s dedication to its clients. Tisdale explained, “Our mission is to move people, not vehicles. We’re in the people business, and we realize human capital is our greatest capital. That’s why our goal is to improve our customers quality of life, reduce their carbon footprint, and help them get to their destinations safely. Our riders often form lifelong friendships with one another and will even celebrate birthdays together!”

Beyond their flashier vanpooling, stamp sales, and air quality alerts, RideFinders often acts as the ‘software’ that supports the ‘hardware’ buses and vans of our local transit system. RideFinders works with a wide range of employers to subsidize workers’ transit fares, pay for GRTC passes completely, and/or utilize pre-tax deals to help establish employee transportation programs. Thanks to RideFinders’ negotiations, nearly all state and city workers have access to free transit passes through commuter choice programs, Tisdale said. Private entities such as the University of Richmond, Hilton Hotels, and Williams Mullen also do business with RideFinders to provide their workers with varying levels of access to free or subsidized transit.

To address Central Virginia’s growing congestion, RideFinders is ready to widen its reach, with hopes to work more with developers to encourage transit-oriented development (TOD) that will allow residents to move more multi-modally.

Its participation in the surveying and employer consultation behind recent GRTC service expansions in Henrico and along Route 1 in Chesterfield may also serve as a model of how RideFinders can promote transit going forward. The soft launch of carpooling incentives in October also presents a new frontier for RideFinders.

Those looking to engage with the most underrated transit service in Richmond can register to take part in RideFinders’ Try Transit Challenge this week to record trips and win prizes (including a GRTC annual pass) running until September 20, as part of the national Try Transit Week movement.

If RideFinders’ Try Transit Challenge doesn’t appeal to you, however, Tisdale understands: “We’re not the answer to everyone’s problem, but we are a critical part of the transportation tapestry helping people change their behavior to improve their quality of life, save the environment, and increase productivity.”