Ridesharing is another term for carpooling and vanpooling. Carpooling is an informal agreement between two or more people to share a ride to work. You can carpool one day a week or five, share driving responsibilities or not, etc. The arrangement is between you and your fellow carpoolers.

Vanpooling is a more formal arrangement between 5 to 15 people to share a ride to work using a van supplied by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) provides a free regional RideShare program and information on other commute options.

There are many existing programs in place if you do not wish to bring your car to campus. For local errands you might need to run in the middle of the day, we have a free campus shuttle to take you to many on- and near-campus locations. We also have Zipcars on campus and are served by many bus routes.

For those concerned about family emergencies or unscheduled overtime, there is the Guaranteed Ride Home program provided by SEMCOG. Free enrollment in the program provides reimbursement for taxi fare or car rental in the case of personal or family illness, unscheduled overtime, or the unscheduled departure of the carpool or vanpool driver.

A number of other useful tools are available on the State of Michigan website, including:

• Cost to Commute Calculator
• Benefits of Commuting Alternatives
• Uber
• Lyft