K-8

Elementary and Middle Schoolers

Students in Elementary and Middle school are often dependent on others for transportation to and from school. However, creativity and flexibility give parents and students ways to work together to form sustainable and mutually beneficial transportation arrangements.

Using sustainable transportation benefits everyone

  • Parents recover time lost by chauffeuring
  • Traffic congestion around schools is eased
  • Students get healthier by increased exercise from biking and walking

Schoolpools come in many colors and flavors

Carpools

  • Parents make an agreement to drive each other’s children to school, either on a permanent or rotating basis. Carpooling to school reduces trips while providing a network of trust for parents. These arrangements are frequently established during back to school events held at the beginning of the school year, but can begin any time throughout the year.
  • Commute Solutions is currently offering an incentive for families to form new carpools for the trip to school. Parents who previously drove only their own children to school and who start a carpool with at least one other family can get a $25 gas card and entry into a prize drawing for a years worth of gas. Back to school night is a great time to connect with other families to set up a new carpool.
  • During the 2010 school year, Commute Solutions is teaming up with carpooltoschool.com to provide safe, secure schoolpool ride matching at local schools on a demonstration basis.

Walking pools

  • Clusters of students who live within walking distance from school walk in a coordinated fashion to school together. One adult serves as the “driver”, making sure that all the children get to and from school safely.

Bike pools

  • Students who live in the same neighborhood ride bikes together to school accompanied by adults. Safe cycling practices and skills can be learned in the process of riding to school increasing both students and parents sense of confidence, independence and safety.

Bus pools

  • School buses are a thing of the past for many school districts. Luckily, the public bus service offered by Santa Cruz Metro is an excellent option for many families to transport their students to school. Students up through age 17 can get a 30% discount off the monthly bus pass which is good for unlimited rides on the local bus system. This is an especially good option for tweeners and teenagers.

Contact

Commute Solutions
(831) 429-POOL