Carpool to Millbrae and San Bruno by 10am with Scoop and get guaranteed parking

Starting September 12th, commuters can get guaranteed parking until 10am at the Millbrae and San Bruno BART stations when they carpool with Scoop.  BART is collaborating with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Scoop Technologies to reduce traffic and maximize the efficiency of BART’s parking lots through carpooling. This project was made possible through a $358,000 Mobility On-Demand Sandbox grant received from the Federal Transit Administration in October 2016. 

BART will set aside parking spaces in the permit area at the Millbrae and San Bruno BART stations for carpoolers using Scoop.  Scoop will coordinate with BART to help verify carpoolers and work with BART Police to ensure smooth operations every morning. Caltrain users will be able to take advantage of this program at the Millbrae station.

This builds on the pilot program at Dublin/Pleasanton BART where demand for parking is so high the lot typically fills up by 8am.  With the introduction of guaranteed parking until 10am, carpooling to the station has increased significantly since the program launched in January.  Currently, hundreds of people have the Dublin/Pleasanton Station set as their destination in the Scoop app.

“Commuters love the program for a few reasons. First, it makes finding a carpool buddy much easier than in the past. Second, they’re able to go to work when they want because they have a guaranteed spot when they arrive,” said David Clavens, Head of Marketing at Scoop.

Commuting with Scoop to the Millbrae BART/Caltrain station, and San Bruno and Dublin/Pleasanton BART stations is easy: download the app at takescoop.com, type in the BART station name, and schedule your ride either before 9pm the night before your morning commute or by 3:30pm for that evening’s commute. Scoop will notify you shortly after the deadline if you’ve matched with one of their 65,000+ users. Scoop also guarantees your ride home if you are unable to be matched. And until parking fees are incorporated into the app, Scoop is covering the cost of parking.

“MTC is excited about this partnership with BART,” says Barbara Laurenson, MTC’s Project Manager for the 511 Carpool Program. "MTC is committed to supporting policies, programs and projects that make carpooling an attractive commute choice.  This project not only supports carpooling, but is providing a convenient, affordable solution to access transit."

BART, MTC, and Scoop are currently developing the plan for expanding this service to additional BART stations throughout this and next year.

The Mobility on Demand Sandbox grant received from the Federal Transit Administration provided the funding necessary to expand the program to additional stations with parking. The grant includes enhancements to the app to make the trip to BART seamless for commuters. Scoop to BART commuters will be able to find a match, pay or receive money for the carpool, and pay for BART parking through the app. Enhancements will also synchronize travel times with BART schedules and allow drivers to indicate whether their vehicles are wheelchair accessible.

“This is a great partnership because it makes better use of BART’s existing parking resources.  It also helps to spread out the morning commute, as carpoolers tend to arrive after the crunch that occurs when non-reserved spaces in the parking lots fill up,” said Bob Franklin, BART’s Manager of Customer Access and Accessibility. 

Download the app at https://www.takescoop.com/

More information about this program can be found at Rideshare.511.org