Bridging the Gap Between Carpooling and Transit

Carpooling is rarely thought of in connection with the use of transit.  While transit runs on defined schedules and pickup points, carpooling depends on individuals working together to find convenient dates, times, and pickup points for their journeys together.  Despite these differences, there are opportunities for carpooling programs and transit agencies to work together to support each other. This webinar will explore two real world programs and partnerships that benefit both users and transit agencies.

Ecov, a French carpool service, partnered with local transit agencies to create a new type of service called Express Carpool Lines, that complements existing transit in heavily traveled corridors. The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission’s (PRTC) OmniRide service has been supporting casual carpooling called Slugging.  Hear how commuters from Northern Virginia benefit from having real time options at OmniRide’s park-and-rides to choose between transit and carpooling based on time, cost and convenience considerations. Learn about how these partnerships work to improve mobility and help reduce congestion. 

Thomas Matagne, Founder and President of Ecov, thomas@ecov.fr

Thomas Matagne is Founder and President of Ecov, a technology company that turns private cars into public transport. Ecov manages more than 50 carpooling lines throughout France. Its ambition: to better fill vehicles and reduce the widespread waste of resources. Thomas is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris (Paris Institute of Political Studies) and Sorbonne University (MSc in Applied Physics). He was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 (BCG), and is a frequent speaker for public institutions, media and participating to academic programs. Thomas is a Knight of the French National Order of Merit.

Laurent Glorieux, Vice President of Sales, Ecov, Laurent.glorieux@ecov.fr

Laurent Glorieux serves as Vice President of Sales at Ecov. Laurent has over 20 years of experience in sales leadership, marketing, and consulting in the tech and mobility sectors. He has worked for 10 years in the mobility industry, in Europe and North America, helping local governments and transit agencies change the way people commute thanks to digital platforms and carpooling. Laurent is passionate about innovations serving the public interest. At Ecov he works to make carpooling a true complement to public transport—accessible, reliable, and structuring for territories. He has an MBA, ESSEC Business School.

Ben Matters, Manager of Mobility Services, OmniRide, bmatters@omniride.com

Ben Matters is a transportation demand management professional with over a decade of experience improving people’s commute across Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, DC region. As Manager of Mobility Services at OmniRide, he oversees TDM programs in Prince William County and Northern Virginia’s regional vanpool incentive program, Vanpool Alliance. Ben holds a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin, with a focus in transportation and land use planning. Outside of work, he enjoys running and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Larry Filler, President, LF Consulting, larryfiller@gmail.com

Larry is President of LF Consulting, providing strategic planning, program and policy support for all types of TDM programs. He has worked as a transportation professional for over 30 years during which time he has held a wide variety of senior management positions at major transportation agencies in the NY metro area and managed several TDM programs in the public and private sectors. He was the founder and CEO of the NY nonprofit, TransitCenter, that created the nation’s first and largest transit tax benefit program, TransitChek. Larry helped establish ACT’s Carpool Council where he serves as its first chair. Larry has a B.Sc from the City University of New York, an M.S. in Physics from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law.