Hitch a Ride to Save Gas

If you want to try sharing a ride — to work, to school, for spring break — look no further than the magical Internets. There are several sites out there for hooking up with a driver or riders, whether you want a daily commute into the city or a one-way from New York to San Francisco, Kerouac-style. Here’s a round-up for easy reference:

• Roadsharing This site skews toward Europe, but what a way to get around the Continent. It’s way more reliable than sticking out a thumb and hoping for the best. Terms and conditions, as of this posting, are only in Italian.

• Zimride This ride, carpool, and cabshare finder is also available as a Facebook app, a widget, and, as of September 2008, on your mobile phone. Free registration.

• Carticipate Get this rideshare app for your iPhone via iTunes. Free.

• PickUpPal An ticker at the bottom of the homepage tells you how many potential tons of CO2 have been kept out of the air thanks to the site’s bidding system for rides. Free registration.

• Ridester A clean, simple web interface for finding a commute buddy. Ticket Fee, Driver’s Fee, and Processing Fees.

• Divide The Ride Carpooling for families who have to deal with soccer, ballet, Little League, the school paper, etc. The same people have launched CarLine Manager for after-school pickup, too. Free.

Many communities also have local rideshare boards online (like San Fransisco’s rideshare.511.org), so search for sites in your city for a local commuting option to save gas and seriously cut down on traffic and emissions.