DOTS to offer discount to students who share rides

A new university networking site, where users can share their preferences and even post a picture or Facebook link, aims to match singles — not for a date, but for potential carpool passengers.

The Department of Transportation Services launched the private database on the Zimride share system website yesterday as part of an ongoing effort to cut down on the number of cars on the campus.

Last semester's attempts to entice students to carpool, such as offering a 25 percent discount on parking permits, weren't exactly popular: The department only managed to establish one carpool with two riders.

This semester, transportation officials hope to reverse the trend through the website and other initiatives, including an even bigger discount on parking permits: Carpoolers can buy them for half the price.

The department's goal is to get more than 2,500 students and faculty to sign up in order to reduce campus traffic and parking problems, according to DOTS Assistant to the Director Beverly Malone.

"Other universities like us have gotten as many as 2,000," Malone wrote in an e-mail. "We think we can beat them."

The database — open to all university students, faculty and staff — allows users to customize who they want to carpool with based on preferences such as whether the person smokes or if they will help pay for gas, Malone said.

Carpoolers also gain more parking lot options: If members of the carpool have permits for different lots, the carpool can park in any of those lots. Every parking garage will be marked for people with carpool permits, Malone said.

"The goal is to reduce permits by 3,450," Malone said. "This is another way to help people make the decision not to bring a single-occupancy vehicle to campus."

Although the official launch was yesterday, commuters have shown interest.

"I definitely would look into using that," said freshman chemistry major Susan Lee, who commutes from College Park. "You'd be saving gas, and it's a good way to make friends."

Staff writer Leyla Korkut contributed to this report. redding at umdbk dot com.