A Tailgate Party for Car-Poolers : Transportation: Team Rideshare’s Simi Valley festival tries to play matchmaker for potential partners.

Team Rideshare, the $5.2-million Caltrans campaign that promotes car-pooling, invaded Simi Valley Wednesday with an unusual outdoor festival that sought to match up commuters who now drive to work alone.

More than 500 workers, mainly from an east Simi Valley industrial park, enjoyed picnic food, music and other entertainment as they searched for car-pool partners or just celebrated the joys of ride-sharing.

Car-poolers insisted that they reap plenty of rewards beyond the obvious gasoline savings.

“We get front-row parking at work,” said Sandy Coyle, an accounts clerk at Farmers Insurance.

Added Michele Scott, who works for Baker & Taylor Software: “You get to leave right at 5 because you can tell your boss that your car-pool ride is waiting.”

But local transportation experts said it’s tough to coax most Ventura County commuters into car pools because their solo rides are shorter and they run into less congestion than commuters elsewhere in Southern California.

“It’s a challenge,” said Alice Snowden, transportation coordinator at the First Interstate Bancard processing center, which hosted the festival.

“About 65% of our employees live in Simi Valley,” she said. “For most of them, the commute is less than five miles each way. So you have to educate them. Once they’re (car-pooling) one or two days a week, they do it more often.”

According to a survey conducted late last year by Commuter Transportation Services Inc., 82% of Ventura County commuters drive to work alone, 12% car-pool and the remainder use other modes of travel.

In January, the California Department of Transportation launched the Team Rideshare campaign, involving advertising and special events aimed at commuters in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

The campaign, which is slated to end July 4 but may be extended, encourages workers to car-pool each Thursday. “The greatest barrier is just getting people to try it,” said Pam Hill, a Team Rideshare spokeswoman. “Once a week sounds easy.”

Most of the promotions have been geared toward Los Angeles and Orange counties, which have the largest number of commuters and the most traffic jams.

Wednesday’s festival in Simi Valley was Team Rideshare’s first special event in Ventura County. A similar ride-sharing festival is scheduled for Wednesday in the grass lot at the former Thousand Oaks City Hall site at 2150 W. Hillcrest Drive, now occupied by the Amgen biotechnology firm.

Local companies are encouraging car pools to comply with Rule 210, a Ventura County Air Pollution Control District measure that requires employers to cut down on car trips to reduce unhealthy air emissions.

At the Simi Valley event, each participant wore a name badge with a color code corresponding to where they live. Many said they live in Simi Valley and have short commutes, while others said they travel from as far away as West Los Angeles and La Crescenta. Workers were urged to form car pools by finding other people who live in the same area.

When three or more workers pledged to commute together at least one day a week, they received free Team Rideshare T-shirts.

Organizers served free hot dogs, chips, cookies and soda. A magician, a juggler and a disc jockey provided entertainment.

Although the goal was to set up new car pools, many of the participants said they already ride with co-workers. Several car-pool because their company awards them points that eventually can be redeemed for prizes, such as a television set or a cellular phone.

Kevin Vincent of Newbury Park, who works at Micom Corp. in Simi Valley, said he and his supervisor were looking for a third person to join them.

“Our company gives us incentives to car-pool--money and prizes,” he said. “If you car-pool at least three days a week, you get a day off every three months.”

Victor Vennari, a Burbank resident who works at Whittaker Electronic Systems in Simi Valley, said he wanted a ride partner to save wear and tear on his car and make his commute more pleasant.

“Time seems to go by a little faster if you’re with someone else,” he said.

But Katia Johnson of Simi Valley, a First Interstate employee, said she had mixed feelings about riding with other workers.

“I’m not sure I want to car-pool,” she said. “Sometimes I have to go shopping after work, and I don’t want to be tied to someone else. I would do it once a week, maybe twice. But no more.”