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About Us

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About Us

Commuter Connections is a regional network of transportation organizations coordinated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. If you live or work in the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area, Commuter Connections can provide you with information on all your commute options, so you can make a smart choice about how you travel to work.

Our mission is to help commuters find a smarter way to work. To help improve commutes, we operate several free commute-oriented programs. Our proprietary ridematching system matches individuals with similar commuters together for carpools and vanpools. We administer the regional Guaranteed Ride Home program, which provides commuters with a free ride home in the event of an unexpected emergency, personal illness, or unscheduled overtime.

We understand commuting can be a burden on your pocketbook, so we’ve created several incentive programs to help ease the pain: CommuterCash, ‘Pool Rewards, and Flextime Rewards all reward commuters with cash when choosing smarter commute modes.

In addition to those programs, we generate resources such as the regional Commute Options Finder Map that includes Park and Ride locations across three states, and our Commute Cost Calculator to help you determine the true cost of your commute.

Regional events such as Bike to Work Day are organized and facilitated by Commuter Connections to help generate excitement about alternative forms of transportation. These regional events, along with the many programs and services listed in the prior paragraph, are marketed to the public through Commuter Connections’ robust mass marketing efforts.

Commuter Connections also helps employers establish commuter benefits and assistance programs, including telework/telecommute programs, for their employees. Whether your company is located in Tysons, Bethesda, or on Capitol Hill, you have a local Commuter Connections representative who knows your specific region and the programs available to assist your employees with their transportation needs. Your local representative will work on-site with you to help you realize the bottom-line benefits of commute alternatives.

All services are provided free to the public and employers. Please browse this website to find more about our services. You may find a “smarter way to work.”

Our Address

Commuter Connections 
777 North Capitol Street, NE
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20002-4239

Our Contact Information

1-800-745-RIDE
Fax (202) 962-3218

E-mail: [email protected]

Funding for Commuter Connections is provided to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) by the U.S. Department of Transportation, District of Columbia Department of Transportation, Maryland Department of Transportation, and Virginia Department of Transportation. Many of the local Commuter Connections members receive grant funding directly from their respective state government.

Since Commuter Connections is a program of  MWCOG, it abides by MWCOG’s Accommodations and Nondiscrimination Policy detailed on the MWCOG Policies webpage. For more information, or to file a Title VI related complaint, again see the Title VI Plan (Complaint Procedures are found on page 22). Or call (202) 962-3200. Para información en español, llame al (202) 962-3300.

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Program History

COMMUTER CONNECTIONS was created in 1974 as the Commuter Club, providing one of the first computerized carpool matching systems in the nation. The Commuter Club network consisted of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), General Services Administration (GSA), and the Greater Washington Board of Trade. Through the inception of the Commuter Club, COG provided direct ridematching services to the public. This service was, and still is, free to anyone who requests ridematching information.

In the 1980’s, the local government agencies of City of Alexandria, Fairfax County, Montgomery County, Prince William County, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission joined the network. The Commuter Club network members used COG’s ridematching software and shared one regional database for ridematching. It was in the mid-1980’s that the network changed its name to the RideFinders Network.

By 1994 the network had grown in membership to include all Washington D.C. area local governments, a few federal agencies and several Transportation Management Associations. The network also included local jurisdictions from the Baltimore region and the southern region of Maryland.

In 1996 and 1997, the services provided by the RideFinders Network had grown beyond just carpool/vanpool matching to include transit route and schedule information, a regional Guaranteed Ride Home program, bicycle to work information, park-and-ride lot and HOV lane information, telecommute/telework program assistance, InfoExpress commuter information kiosks, commuter information services through the Internet, and employer services. It was in 1996 that the network changed its name to COMMUTER CONNECTIONS.

50th Anniversary Celebration

Commuter Connections celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024.  A news story detailing the evolution of Commuter Connections over 50 years is posted to the MWCOG website.

COG Committees

Commuter Connections manages several committees at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Select any of the committees from the below list to see their respective information and meeting calendar:

  • Commuter Connections Subcommittee – provides overall technical review of the regional TDM Program elements:  reviews/provides commentary/ endorses reports and other products for release to general public and regional stakeholders.   Information
  • Commuter Connections Bike to Work Day Steering Committee – plan the logistics for the regional Bike To Work Day event.  Information
  • Commuter Connections Car Free Day Steering Committee – develop and implement the regional CarFree Day event. Information
  • Commuter Connections Employer Outreach Committee – review and discuss employer outreach efforts. Information
  • Commuter Connections Regional TDM Marketing Group – provide input and coordination of regional TDM advertising and marketing efforts. Information
  • Commuter Connections Ridematching Committee – discuss technical issues and make improvements to the regional TDM software system. Information

Publications