Cass County carpool wins grand prize limo ride in RideShare’s Smartest Carpool contest
Seventy-four carpools representing 185 commuters in Greater Kansas City competed
in the region’s first Smartest Carpool contest this week,
hosted by the Mid-America Regional Council’s RideShare program. The
contest challenged area carpools to tackle transportation trivia on the morning
commute for a chance to be entered in daily prize drawings.
A four-person carpool from Cass County was named Friday’s grand prize-winning
carpool. Carol Gardner of Peculiar, Mo.; Cathy Richardson and Lana Wright
of Harrisonville, Mo.; and Pat Spangler of Adrian, Mo., travel approximately
70 miles round-trip on days they share the ride to the Sprint Campus and
other employers based in Overland Park, Kan.
The four women won the final contest drawing after submitting correct answers
to the following brain-busting trivia questions. They will be awarded a luxury
limo ride — or “limopool” — to work one day next week, courtesy of Pech Limousine.
Contest details are at www.marc.org/rideshare/smartestcarpool.htm.
TRIVIA ANSWERS FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 22:
- In an effort to mobilize public opinion and conserve resources, such
as gas and rubber, which of the following slogans were used in U.S. government-issued
posters during World War II?
a. When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler.
b. Millions of troops are on the move. Is your trip necessary?
c. Won’t you give my boy a chance to get home? Don’t travel — unless your trip helps win the war.
d. Have you really tried to save gas by getting into a car club?
e. Me travel? Not this summer! Vacation at home.
f. A and C
g. All of the above
- When is a vehicle more likely to emit higher levels of volatile organic
compounds (VOC), one of the contributors to ground-level ozone?
a. After it’s been running for at least 60 minutes
b. When it is first started and the engine is cold
c. The VOC emissions are the same whether the engine is warmed up or cold.
- In 2008, MARC conducted an external station survey to measure traffic
entering the Kansas City metropolitan area from outside the region. According
to this survey, which highway or interstate had the largest volume of vehicles
entering the Kansas City region each day? (Note: This does not include
commercial truck counts.)
a. U.S. 71 in Missouri
b. Interstate 29 in Missouri
c. K-10 in Kansas
d. Interstate 70 in Kansas
FRIDAY’S CARPOOL TIP: CARPOOL ETIQUETTE
DO:
- Communicate with your fellow carpoolers. If you’re running a few minutes late, call them and let them know. If you can’t carpool on a particular day due to a schedule conflict, give your carpool partners ample notice so they can make other arrangements.
- Drive safely at all times.
- Keep your vehicle clean and in good condition.
- Respect any other restrictions the carpool has agreed on, such as smoking, eating or drinking.
DON’T:
- Make a habit of being late.
- Ask your carpoolers to make extra stops along the way so you can take care of personal errands. The carpool is meant to help everyone with their commutes.
- Bring up controversial topics like religion or politics unless you know your fellow carpoolers well. While some people enjoy debating the issues, others may prefer a quieter commute.
- Have lengthy cell phone conversations while you’re in the carpool.
RideShare is a publicly funded commuter service for anyone who lives, works or attends school in Greater Kansas City. The service informs people about less expensive and environmentally friendly commuting alternatives. RideShare also helps employers develop alternative transportation programs. For more information, call 816/842-RIDE (7433) or visit www.marc.org/rideshare.