When Andy Smith moved from Duluth to Buford, he increased his one-way commute to 35 miles, and traveling to and from his office in Buckhead during rush hour felt like an eternity. Driving a full-size truck that gets 13 MPG and has over 200,000 miles didn’t help his wallet either. The solution? Share the ride!

Andy signed up for RideSmart (formerly 1-87-RIDEFIND), the free ridematching service that paired him with fellow Buford resident Ron Buckley. They began carpooling immediately, and after one successful year, they heard that the Buckhead Area Transportation Management Agency (BATMA) was looking to start a vanpool to serve the Gwinnett area.

Because there weren’t enough people to start a van that left from Buford, Andy had to drive to Lawrenceville each day to participate. Unsatisfied with the situation, Andy recruited enough riders to start a second van out of Buford. One might think Andy would be happy to leave it at that, but his van was just the beginning of his vanpool crusade. Since experiencing first hand the benefits of vanpooling, Andy has not only recruited three riders to join his own van but has also persuaded seven more to join other vanpools.

Over two years ago, Andy replaced his old truck with a new one. Because of vanpooling, he is averaging less than 7,000 mile a year on his personal vehicle. He also receives a reduced auto insurance rate due to the low annual mileage, yet another financial savings opportunity!