Stories from Past Find Your Match Events

Kathy & Heather
Connected via http://www.SharetheRide.com
These two professionals started carpooling together to shorten their commute time in the HOV lane and save money on gas. They quickly developed a friendship and now go shopping together, have helped each other with home improvement projects, as well as go out in the evenings. “The RideShare website worked excellently,” Kathy says. I’m amazed. It was like a perfect fit.”

Josh & Sarah
Voluntary carpoolers
The two 20-somethings began carpooling to work when their jobs required a 60-mile drive roundtrip every day from the East Valley. Josh, a web developer/graphic artist, and Sarah, a writer, discovered along the way that they could combine their talents and freelance on the side. Now the two continue to commute together in the HOV lane, and often use that time to hash out freelance projects for their clients as well as their daily work at employer TriWest Healthcare Alliance. “We come up with tag lines on the road all the time,” Sarah says.

Sabrina and James
Carpool and Bus Riders
Their romantic relationship was strained by many difficult circumstances, including an unreliable car. A co-worker stepped in and offered to drive them to work each day at Scottsdale-based McKesson. Sabrina and James soon found that uninterrupted time together in the car each day allowed them talk out many of their difficulties, relieve stress, and ultimately recommit to each other. “I don’t think we would’ve married if it hadn’t been for carpooling,” Sabrina says. The coworkers who drove them to work? They attended the wedding.

Darrell & Darlene
Carpool and Bus Riders
This husband-and-wife team is an avid user of Valley Metro’s bus system and regularly carpool too. They’ve encouraged other coworkers to try busing/carpooling to work too, counting at least 7 colleagues among their converts at McKesson. “We use it by choice because it’s fun,” Darrell says. “A lot of people don’t realize that it really is fun. You meet so many people on the bus.”

Allie
Connected on the bus
When she met her soul mate he was not riding a horse but driving a bus. At first she couldn’t stand him and thought he was too mean. She usually sat all the way in the back of the bus to read a book or talk with other riders. One day she sat in a seat behind the driver. They talked for a while and Allie discovered he was very nice and his mean look was just camouflage. They continued to talk and one day he asked her to lunch and then dinner. They realized they had so much in common. However, it took another five years before they actually got married in 1997. The Judge asked how they met. He said,” I am a bus driver for the city of Phoenix; and she got on my bus and I never opened the doors to let her off.  She has been riding my bus ever since.”