Pull to refresh
Logo
What Changed
Following Why Sign Up
CAMPO launches paid carpool matching for I-35 commuters

CAMPO launches paid carpool matching for I-35 commuters

Built World Austin, TX local

We Ride I-35 matches Kyle and Buda commuters heading to Austin, with $5 daily rewards and up to $75 for an emergency ride home.

October 28th, 2026: CAMPO announces We Ride I-35 carpool program

Overview

Updated Nov 1

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's (CAMPO) We Ride I-35 launched Oct. 1 and matches people traveling between Austin, Buda and Kyle. Sign-up takes an interest form listing route, timing and driving preferences; CAMPO does the matching.

Participants earn $5 per day, up to $150, for logging trips in the CTXGO app, and eligible carpoolers can be reimbursed up to $75 for a Lyft ride home in an emergency. CAMPO built the program with the Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Austin and other regional partners to ease traffic during I-35 construction. Its regional transportation demand management work is backed by $4 million in Carbon Reduction Program funding allocated in 2021.

Why it matters

For Kyle and Buda commuters, We Ride I-35 offers $5 a day to share a construction-choked I-35.

Last Monday's email for Austin, TX

Sent Nov 9. It carried:

Get next Monday's: one short email a week. Free. Unsubscribe in one click.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

$5
Daily carpool reward
Commuters earn $5 per day for logging eligible carpool trips in the CTXGO app.
$150
Maximum reward
Cap on the total incentive a participant can earn through the program.
100
New residents daily
Regional growth pace cited by CAMPO's community outreach manager.
$4M
TDM program funding
Carbon Reduction Program money allocated in 2021 for CAMPO's regional transportation demand management work.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

People Involved

Doise Miers
Doise Miers
Community outreach manager, CAMPO
Public voice of the We Ride I-35 program

Organizations Involved

CA
Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO)
Metropolitan Planning Organization
Federally designated regional planner; runs We Ride I-35

CAMPO is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for six Central Texas counties—Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson.
CTXGO
CTXGO
Regional travel app partnership
Technology partner powering We Ride I-35

CTXGO is a regional transportation app providing lane closures, construction alerts, and travel impact info, plus ride matching and commuter rewards.

Timeline

September 2026 October 2026

3 events Latest: October 28th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago

  1. CAMPO announces We Ride I-35 carpool program

    Latest Announcement

    KXAN reported CAMPO announced the program Wednesday, with $5 daily rewards, a $150 cap and Guaranteed Ride Home for registered carpoolers.

  2. We Ride I-35 launches

    Program launch

    CAMPO's Oct. 5 regional transportation demand management update said We Ride I-35 launched Oct. 1, 2026. The program matches commuters between Kyle, Buda and Austin.

  3. We Ride I-35 begins accepting sign-ups

    Program launch

    CAMPO starts matching Kyle and Buda commuters traveling to Austin, per Community Impact reporting.

Scenarios

1

We Ride I-35 expands to other corridors

Possible Resolves by Oct 28, 2027

Discussed by: CAMPO community outreach manager Doise Miers (Community Impact)

If Kyle-Buda enrollment is strong, CAMPO replicates the matching-and-rewards model on another congested route. Miers said the approach "could provide a model for similar efforts elsewhere" as Central Texas grows.

2

Incentive cash runs out

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Program funding structure (federal Carbon Reduction Program money allocated in 2021)

The $5-per-day reward pool is finite and capped at $150 per participant. If enrollment exceeds what the federal grant covers, or the money isn't renewed, CAMPO may end payments, weakening the program's pull.

3

We Ride I-35 logs more than 1,000 registered riders

Possible Resolves by Oct 28, 2027

Discussed by: Program design; CTXGO app metrics

If matching works and word spreads during I-35 construction, enrollment could cross four figures. A published count above 1,000 would signal the model is gaining traction.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

July-August 1996

Atlanta Olympic Transportation Demand Management (1996)

Before the 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta faced warnings of gridlock. Transportation agencies instead pushed telecommuting, staggered work hours, carpooling, and expanded transit to cut peak car trips during the games.

Then

Traffic stayed near normal during the Olympics, defying predictions of paralysis.

Now

The playbook became a standard template for event-based congestion management.

Why this matters now

We Ride I-35 uses the same logic—convincing drivers to share trips—applied daily instead of for a two-week event.

1973

First U.S. HOV lane, Shirley Highway (1973)

Northern Virginia opened the nation's first high-occupancy-vehicle lane on the Shirley Highway (now I-395), reserved for buses and carpools. It gave shared rides a faster, dedicated path past solo drivers.

Then

The lane moved more people per hour than the general-purpose lanes beside it.

Now

HOV lanes spread across U.S. metros as a core carpool incentive.

Why this matters now

Carpooling to beat congestion is a decades-old idea; We Ride I-35 adds modern matching and cash rewards instead of a dedicated lane.

Sources

(7)
+1
KXAN Austin FOX 7 Austin Community Impact CivicIQ Austin Current KVUE Hays Free Press