Straight from the Hero Headlines

There's A Hero in All of Us SM

Doing our part to help the environment takes heroic actions by each of us. That's why RideFinders strives to keep you informed about the latest news in smart transportation choices, how it affects us, and simple changes that you can incorporate into your lifestyle.

We want you to be aware of what great options are available to you so check back often for changes or further developments. We'll keep you posted!

SUPPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION LETTER FROM JOHN LEWIS, CEO, GRTC Transit System

To read this letter, please click here.

Emergency Ride Home Taxi Vendor Update

For all after hours Emergency Ride Home calls, please contact Napoleon Taxi Cab company at (804) 354-8294. Napoleon will follow the RideFinders verification process. Commuters are still responsible for contacting RideFinders the next day to report usage. Veterans Cab and Yellow Cab will no longer accept any RideFinders Emergency Ride Home calls.

Vanpool Riders Needed

Please contact Antionette Haynes at ahaynes@ridefinders.com for more information on the following vanpools:

Travels from Chester, VA to Fort Belvoir, VA daily

Coordinator: Robert Hewitt

Overnight Parking: Travels from Chester, VA to Fort Belvoir, DLA , VA daily

Overnight Parking: The Breckenridge Center, 12640-12810 Chester VA, VA 23832

Lv Super K-Mart in Chester 3:50AM; ar Fort Belvoir 5:35AM

Lv Fort Belvoir 3:30PM; ar Chester 5:35 PM.

Travels from Richmond, VA to Washington, DC daily

Coordinator: Keith Trent

Overnight Parking: WalMart, 7901 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23227

Lv Parham & Brook Rds 4:30AM; ar Pentagon 6AM; lv Pentagon 6:10AM: ar L�Enfant Plaza 6:20AM; ar Wash Navy Yard 6:28AM

Lv Wash Navy Yard 4:10PM; ar L�Enfant Plaza 4:15PM; ar Pentagon 4:28PM; ar Parham & Brook Rds 6:10PM

Travels from Chester, VA to Fort Belvoir DLA, VA daily

Coordinator: Valerie Mills

Overnight Parking: The Breckenridge Center, 12640-12810 Chester VA, VA 23832

Lv Super K-Mart in Chester4:00AM; ar Parham & Brook 4:20 Fort Belvoi r DLA : 5:50 AM

Lv Fort Belvoir DLA 3:35PM; ar Walmart Parham & Brook 5:00 PM ar Chester 5:30 PM.

RideFinders Honored with Two Awards

RideFinders, a division of GRTC Transit System, was the recipient of the 2010 Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) Chesapeake Chapter's Outstanding TDM Program for "Get the Scoop on Bike Commuting," Bike Month Special Events held in 2009. This award recognizes a company that has developed and implemented a results oriented TDM program. RideFinders competed with agencies in the state of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

RideFinders partnered with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the City of Richmond, the Richmond Area Bicycling Association (RABA), and BikeWalk Virginia to engage the public and the business communities across multi-jurisdictional lines and appeal to their sense of community responsibility with a series of special events. These events aimed to increase awareness of biking as an independent mobility option that improves air quality and encourages a healthy lifestyle. The month long series of events culminated with a Commuter Convoy on Bike to Work Day, May 15, 2009 led by then Governor of Virginia, the Honorable Timothy M. Kaine, and Richmond Mayor, the Honorable Dwight Jones.

RideFinders was also honored by the Girl Scout Commonwealth Council of Virginia with The Commonwealth Award at a recent event hosted at the Omni Richmond Hotel. The Commonwealth Award acknowledges three different corporations whose partnership has had a significant impact on Girl Scouting. RideFinders received the Corporate Partner honor for administering the Telework!VA program. Through the telework grant, the Girl Scout Council has been able to maximize office space and technological capabilities to provide better service to volunteers and maximize employee productivity. Twenty Girl Scout staff members are able to telework.

RideFinders hosts Green Carpet Event

On Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 2010, RideFinders, a division of GRTC Transit System, hosted its Green Carpet Event at the new GRTC corporate facility. This event officially launched RideFinders annual Clean Air Campaign which promotes "green commuting," and a potpourri of eco-friendly initiatives designed to protect and enhance the environment. During the event, RideFinders recognized media partners who did an excellent job last summer of getting the word out about air quality and with whom RideFinders is partnering for the 2010 Ozone Season, and several corporate partnerships. More than 110 attendees from a cross section of the community, including business leaders, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), WRIC TV 8, WWBT 12, CBS 6, Employee Transportation Coordinators, Boards of Directors of the jurisdictional Chambers of Commerce, committee members of the Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and the Virginia Transit Association were among those represented.

It was truly an all-around green affair. All event invitations were sent through the "green" method- email. Attendees were encouraged to carpool to the event. The evening's special giveaway was a reusable shopping bag. To see event photos, click here.

Media Partner Awards:

CBS 6 Television Station

Bill Anderson, Sheryl Barnhouse, Zach Daniel, Stephen Hayes, Aaron Justus, Amanda Meadows, and Carrie Rose

WWBT 12 Television Station

Jim Duncan, Andrew Frieden, Frank Jones, Nancy Kent-Smith, Tracy Lynn, Tom Patton, Don Richards, and Ros Runner

WRIC TV 8 Television Station

John Bernier, Matt DiNardo, Lisa Melton, Paul Milliken, Jason Myers, and Bob Peterson

Corporate Partner Awards:

Amanda Tate, Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., for its Carpool Program

Martin Green, William Byrd Community House, for its Swipecard program

Denise Kranich, The Innsbrook Foundation, for its Green partnership

Sharon Dabney-Woolridge, The Kleanekare Team, for Green partnership

Roland Feit, Pfizer, for its Green partnership

Paul Kolhoff, United Methodist Family Services, for its Telework program

Jackie Coleman, Virginia Retirement System, for its Commuter Choice program

Ryan Debaugh, Walgreens, for its Transit partnership

Emergency Ride Home (ERH) Program Notice

RideFinders no longer has a contract with Enterprise Car Rental. However, RideFinders is working diligently to solicit a new car rental vendor(s) for the program. If you are a long distance commuter that would need a car rental in the event of an emergency, RideFinders will use our current taxi cab vendors to get you home up to the $250 yearly maximum program allowance. On a case-by-case basis, there may be a rental car vendor willing to honor the terms of the program; however, the vendor must contact RideFinders for approval before delivering the service. Once we obtain a new provider(s), we will post the information on our website and send notices to our ERH clients. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.