Every weekday morning, the Park and Ride lot off I-65 in Blount County fills with people who must commute long distances to work.   A random sampling of those waiting for their rides led us to Chris Meyers who drives from Cullman to Birmingham and Andrew Parsons who travels from Cullman to Tuscaloosa.  Ronnie Bennett was making the longest trip, 117 miles from Hayden to Gurley. 

All the commuters told us they save considerable money by carpooling.  Parsons estimated his savings at, "probably 60 dollars a day."  Even Eddie Brightwell, who had the shortest commute of anyone we met, said he saves, "about 60 dollars a month for gas alone, and that's not counting oil changes and wear and tear on my car."

In addition to Blount County, the state Department of Transportation operates one other Park and Ride lot.  It's in Chilton County, but the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission and Commute Smart are working to open half a dozen others around Jefferson County.  Commute Smart can also help commuters through an online rider registration, that will match people interested in carpooling with others from their area.  To learn more, go to www.commutesmart.org

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