I have been trying to bring back SF casual carpool since it ended with the pandemic. Here are some of the things I/we have done between September 2022 and August 2023.
Things I have tried
Waiting at the North Berkeley passenger line daily, using both sfcarpool.app and the RapidCarpool app
I have done this for close to a year, waiting 20 minutes a day. I get picked up around once a month.
Created SFcarpool.app for helping people coordinate carpools
This suggested with coordinated start date. BART riders showed interest, but there was no uptick in carpooling. I did this for about a month in late 2022.
Reached out to officials at MTC and SFMTA to see if we can get historical data for bridge exits to see if there has been a dip in exits at carpool drop sites. No response.
Op-ed. It has been suggested I submit one to the Chronicle. And/or The East Bay Times, Berkeleyside, Daily Cal, Radio Perspective (KQED Radio)
Bay Curious podcast
Reach out to other casual carpool groups like Huston and DC.
Contact Caltrans to see if they have highway exit data.
Online date coordination
I flyered at BART with a start date to build a critical mass. But we could do a more effective version of this by polling people online and seeing who wants to commit to a date.
Posting physical flyers with various web addresses at BART stations.
