Countywide : Ride-Sharing Programs Win Governor’s Awards

Two Orange County ride-sharing programs have won the 1989 Governor’s Transportation Awards, state and county officials said this week.

Steelcase Inc. of Tustin was honored for its ride-sharing incentives, which include a guaranteed return trip for any employee who misses a car-pool ride for any reason, a $15 monthly pay bonus, preferred parking, and free beverage upon arrival at work.

The Associated Students at UC Irvine were cited for developing a heavily used, student-run shuttle serving neighborhoods in Irvine, Balboa Island and the Newport Peninsula. The shuttles carry 2,000 to 2,500 people a week.

Bob Mainwaring, ride-sharing coordinator at Steelcase, said his firm has 300 people in car pools out of a total work force of 1,183. He said the company’s ride-sharing effort is only part of an overall commitment to reduce traffic that has included a dramatic shift in work schedules. Now, he said, 85% of the company’s employees report for work at 5 a.m.

“Believe it or not, most people enjoy it because they’re happy to go home at 1:30 or 2 in the afternoon,” Mainwaring said.

ASUCI spokeswoman Susan Barnes said the campus shuttle service started as an experiment with one route in 1987 and was so successful that there are now three routes served.

The shuttles are spaced from 20 minutes to 60 minutes apart, depending on the route.

“We use all student drivers, and the entire program is entirely student-run,” she said.