This post is brought to you by Carma Carpooling.

Transportation apps are nothing new to our city, but there hasn’t been one to focus on the Bane of Existence for the Bay Area’s workforce: the dreaded morning and afternoon commute. Enter Carma Carpooling, an app that builds awareness among a community of people who live and work near each other.

Carma matches users based on their normal commute, so the drivers are headed from A to B regardless. Riders, who share those As and Bs, simply fill the empty seats and pay the drivers $.20 per mile. Drivers make up to $.56 per mile (depending on number of passengers), get to use the HOV3 lane AND get their Bay Bridge Toll rebated when crossing with at least 2 riders. Since drivers already make the trip, why not pick somebody up along the way, earn some money and get there faster too?

Twice-daily use makes Carma’s services so affordable for riders, thousands of which already participate in casual carpooling found at Park-n-Rides and BART Stations. Carma creates the platform for this type of exchange, plus provides tech safeguards you’ve come to expect (like peer reviews and a rating system) without having to wait on the curb.

While their claim as being the “true commuter solution for the Bay Area” is bold, we are finding it hard to argue. Download the app, plug in your trip, and see who you can share your commute with. Plus you can earn $10 when you invite a friend and they take a Carma Carpool trip. Happy commuting!

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