RideWise Commuting into Future and Beyond

RideWise doesn’t provide transportation, it just makes transportation better and more sustainable, according to Donna Allison, executive director of the grant-funded non-profit organization established in 1992 and serving all of Somerset County.

“Our mission is to promote travel alternatives that improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion and decrease carbon emissions,” Allison said.

And while the organization has focused on promoting carpooling or using mass transit for work-related trips, in 2010, the organization, based on Grove Street, began to shift its focus a bit.

“We began moving beyond this limited role and started to transform ourselves into an organization that promotes travel alternatives for recreation, errands and other non-work related trips,” Allison said.  

Allison said the shift in focus makes sense, considering that many people now are looking for ways to make environmentally-conscious choices and reduce their carbon footprints.

Sometimes, Allison said, people can’t just make changes to their ways of commuting to work. They may not be anywhere near mass transit and they may be too far away to bike to work, she said, so the organization decided to put more effort into educating people about other ways they can go green. 

RideWise educates businesses, community organizations and individuals about a wide range of transportation issues, including the safety needs of pedestrians and cyclists.

The organization provides seminars focused on senior pedestrian safety, which are offered at community centers, senior housing and local libraries, as well as bicycle safety offered to students at child care facilities, elementary schools and through after school programs.

“At a time when many school districts are struggling with rising costs and shrinking budgets, RideWise is working with seven elementary schools to implement low or no cost solutions to courtesy busing," Allison said. "These solutions get kids and parents walking to school, while reducing traffic and improving air quality around schools."

On Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, RideWise’s "Walking School Bus" event will be held for National Walk to School Days. 

"The Walking School Bus is one of our most successful programs and helps parents and children enjoy the experience of walking to school," Allison said.

RideWise also offers a program called "How to Ride Transit" through classroom and hands-on training that helps potential commuters who may not understand how to read a bus schedule, where to board a bus, how to determine fare and other general riding rules.

The classes are offered at One Stop Career Centers and at the Somerset Board of Social Services.

“A lot of people in this area are unfamiliar with mass transportation," Allison said. "The classes help them overcome the reluctance or fear of the unknown."

“This training offers individuals an opportunity to live more independently,” she added.

RideWise operates with five full time and two part-time staff members, and is funded through grants from the North Jersey Planning Authority, New Jersey Transit, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and New Jersey Traffic and Highway Safety.

Allison, who has worked with RideWise since 1997 and has served as executive director since 2003, said she is passionate about her mission.  

“I love finding creative ways to think about travel alternatives,” she said.

Allison said she and her staff are committed to promoting a healthier lifestyle and a greener approach on a daily basis by encouraging parents to walk to school with their children, if it’s feasible for them, and for people of all ages to bike and walk while running errands.

RideWise has worked with New Jersey companies since its inception to promote sustainable commuting alternatives.

“Fourteen local businesses made the New Jersey Smart Workplace List, which is a prestigious state-wide program that recognizes employers who provide outstanding commuter transportation programs,” Allison said. “These employers understand that employee transportation is an important and vital part of the ‘going green’ solution.” 

For more information about RideWise’s programs and work, visit the website.