We actively encourage our employees to share their commute with co-workers, friends, family, or other commuters they connect with via our on-line platform.
Argonne’s Rideshare program is a long-standing part of our sustainability efforts. Ridesharing is a smart commute option on so many levels. It can help us save money, time, and the environment. Fluctuating gas prices, heavily congested roads, and the laboratory’s sustainability goals are all great reasons our employees participate in ridesharing.
As an additional incentive, Argonne’s Sustainability Program has allocated preferred parking spots to carpoolers and vanpoolers at some locations onsite and is evaluating additional future locations.
Pave Commute
Argonne’s Sustainability Program provides employees with Pave Commute by RideAmigos (link: https://pavecommute.app/), an innovative carpooling app, to support a more connected workplace while reducing our environmental impact as part of our Green Ride initiative. The Pave Commute app employs artificial intelligence to deliver personalized recommendations for Argonne colleagues commuting to work from the same area, and it automatically connects individuals based on their location and schedule.
Pave Commute is open to Argonne, DOE, and UChicago employees who commute to Argonne.
Pace Vanpool
Pace, the suburban division of the Regional Transit Authority, offers the Pace Vanpool Program, which operates similarly to carpools except it includes more perks. Pace Vanpool is a workday rideshare arrangement that can help commuters enjoy a more comfortable and more affordable commute. It′s available for commuters who live or work in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.
Pace provides the van. Our employees get to enjoy a more comfortable commute, and could save thousands of dollars a year.
How does it work?
Employees who live and work near one another and share similar schedules can form a group that conveniently gets them between home and work. Riders connect to one another through Carpool Connect. Each rider pays a low monthly fare based on distance and number of participants. This covers all costs of the vanpool, including fuel, maintenance, insurance, tolls, roadside assistance, and van washes. One of the vanpool members volunteers to be the primary driver. He or she does not pay a fare and also receives 300 personal miles a month. Backup drivers receive a $10 per month discount.