School Pool Programs

A school pool is a group of parents who takes turns carpooling and dropping off their children at the same school.

Benefits of School Pool Programs

The reported benefits of such programs include the following:

Helps families solve transportation problem of getting their children to school.
Helps families save time and money.
Helps families manage school schedules and work schedules
Provides a transportation alternative for after school activities
Reduces traffic congestion around the school's pick-up and drop-off areas
Decreases parking demand on school site due to parents parking vehicle and walking children to school
Offers an opportunity to identify other parents or guardians to call upon when facing car or other last minute problems
Teaches children a great lesson on saving our environment
Provides a voluntary alternative to driving children to and from school every day
Helps to improve air quality

Here’s how School Pool programs usually work:

School agrees to participate with local transit agency or transportation demand management program.
Parents and guardians will be asked to provide information for each child they want to enroll.
Information includes home address and grade level.
Parents and guardians will receive a "matchlist" for each child with the names of other students from their neighborhood who travel to the same school.
It’s up to the parents and guardians to make whatever arrangements they prefer.

California - San Francisco - 511 Regional Rideshare Program

New Jersey - Mercer County - Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association

South Florida - South Florida Commuter Services

Virginia - Charlottesville - Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission