SchoolPool

A little help for busy parents. SchoolPool is the iCommute free ridematching service for parents of children who attend the same school. With this safe and secure service, you are matched with other parents in your neighborhood who are interested in sharing the driving responsibilities or would like to have their kids bike or walk to school with other students and a parent leader. SchoolPool is available regionwide.

Research has shown that when students carpool, their school attendance and timeliness improve. Carpooling, walking, or biking to school also reduces traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in school zones, promoting safety at your school while helping the environment. See if your school is participating in SchoolPool.

SchoolPool matches for carpooling, biking, and walking

Carpooling helps busy parents share the responsibility of getting the kids to school, as well as reducing expenses for gas and car maintenance. In addition, to help promote physical activity and healthier lifestyles for students, SchoolPool encourages bicycling and walking. Bike buddies or walking school buses are groups of students who ride or walk to school together with adult/parent leaders. The Safe Routes to School program provides a guide for bike and pedestrian safety skills for children to help educate everyone on safe ways to get to school. For some parents, having their children take public transit to school is a good option. All San Diego transit operators allow for bicycles on board, and walking children to transit stops can lead to a healthier start to your child’s school day.

Starting your own SchoolPool is as easy as ABC!

The SchoolPool program is open to students in all public and private elementary, middle, and high schools within San Diego County. Participation is voluntary.

A. Contact your child’s school, ask for the transportation coordinator, and tell them you are interested in participating in the SchoolPool commuter program.

B. If your school does not have a commuter program set up, ask them to contact SchoolPool by calling 511 and saying “SchoolPool” when prompted to reach a customer service representative. We will help set up a safe and secure network at your school for free.

C. Once your school’s network has been created, parents just need to sign up for an account. Then log in, find matches for carpooling, biking, or walking and you’re ready to roll!

For more information, call 511 and say “SchoolPool” or e-mail schoolpool@sandag.org.