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Rideshare in the Tetons | UNITED STATES, WYOMING, IDAHO | 12/01/2010, by backcountryride
Established in Jackson, WY, Backcountryride.com began with the idea of eliminating traffic congestion on Teton Pass by providing a shuttle service. After learning about the many obstacles businesses and organizations have encountered with the Wyoming Department of Transportation in organizing a shuttle service, it was understood that a different and innovative approach was needed.
Imagine public transportation, but with the ability to create the schedule on your own terms. You will have the freedom to do this with Backcountryride’s community driven transportation network, a free car pool network that connects you with other users offering rides or looking for rides.
Backcountryride.com’s concept is simple, we have created a program that accommodates your agenda and will notify you when your desired car pool is matched. You also have the ability to search our database to see if any other users in the network can accommodate your commuter schedule. Because our system is web based it is easy for us to notify you by e mail once our network has found a match for your desired car pool.
We are unique in that we are the only online car pool network known that has incorporated a text message application for on the fly rideshare matches. We have designated certain codes that our database will recognize, whether you are attempting to make a car pool or simply searching for passengers or a ride.
After developing our idea into a car pool network, we knew there was a missing piece that had to fit the American lifestyle puzzle. People like to drive on their own and have the freedom to take off whenever suites their schedule. It takes incentive for people to give up a piece of their freedom and start thinking about the bigger picture. Consequently Backcountryride.com partnered up with Backcountry.com to create a reward structure for people that use the network the most. We developed a way of calculating every individual’s pounds of CO2 emissions reduced, their number of trips reduced, their vehicle miles traveled reduced, the amount of gas saved, and money saved. In keeping track of every individual’s pounds of CO2 emissions reduced, we created a competition. The Backcountry Ride users that reduce the most pounds of CO2 emissions in one season will win a gear reward from Backcountry.com.
Incentive is great, but you might ask how we would keep people from abusing our network. We have taken a couple of precautions in order to keep individuals accountable so that other users can count on their ride and so that the reward system is not abused. First off, once you register to be a member of the Backcountryride.com network, you have to create a profile much like facebook so other members can identify you as a legit person. Information such as your name, birthday, sex, profile picture, organization/company affiliation, number of typical open seats, car type, and your typical car pool route will be displayed in your profile. Two other key elements that other users can view in your profile are your car pool statistics and a five star rating scheme. Every member will have the ability to rate their experience on a five star scale with other members when a car pool has taken place. Through this we aim at keeping members accountable within the network.
On one hand we don’t think that keeping individuals accountable will be an issue for Backcountryride.com given the locations which the car pools take place. We have chosen certain pick up and drop off locations where individuals commute daily and where parking and traffic congestion issue persist. On Teton Pass you will find a stream of traffic every day from people that live in Victor or Driggs Idaho and work in Jackson. Coupled with the constant flow of traffic brings limited parking on top of Teton Pass for backcountry users. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort became another key location due to the parking fees that the resort implemented if you don’t have a car pool of three or more. In between these locations, which have Jackson as their starting or ending point, are several intermediate stops where backcountry and resort users tend to park.
It is our goal for the community to utilize this free program based on the apparent traffic and parking issues that persevere in the valley. Thanks to Backcountry.com, our incentivized program just adds icing to the cake. Check us out at www.backcountryride.com and be the first one to provide community driven transportation. We hope to be up and running by mid December.
That's Our Opinion. What's Yours?
WarPigSinFin wrote on 12/01/10 at 12:32:47 am pst:
Great idea. Stoked for when the site is up and running!
powderjunky wrote on 12/02/10 at 08:53:30 am pst:
With all the parking issues up there hopefully this will really help.
murph wrote on 12/03/10 at 11:59:52 am pst:
i hope this helps,but i don't see this alieviating the bigger problem which i think is dawn patrollers.lots not plowed until 7 or 8 am, leave the early ones with little options.i don't turn around because they won't plow earlier.what's today's excuse
backcountryride wrote on 12/04/10 at 08:03:58 am pst:
How many dawn patrollers do you typically see? Why not hook up with them through the rideshare network? Realistically you could probably get down to 3 to 4 cars for the dawn patrollers if everyone posted their rides on backcountryride.com to coordinate.
backcountryride wrote on 12/04/10 at 08:46:57 am pst:
How many dawn patrollers do you typically see? Why not hook up with them through the rideshare network? Realistically you could probably get down to 3 to 4 cars for the dawn patrollers if everyone posted their rides on backcountryride.com to coordinate.
