Safe Routes to School & 511 School Pool
The 511 SchoolPool system helps schools with traffic congestion by enabling parents to link up to form alternative transportation pools for walking, bicycling, or carpooling! 511 SchoolPool will enable parents to register in the online system and find other parents with whom they can share the task of transporting their children to school.
511 SchoolPool is free, safe and simple to use.
To find out if your school is already enrolled, go to www.schoolpool.511.org, and click on the “participating schools” link on the home page.
Un-enrolled schools must register with Sonoma County Safe Routes to School to be entered into the 511 system, which then enables parents in that school/district to register and find matches.
Here's how it works:
1. To enroll, send an email to saferoutes@bikesonoma.org to indicate that you would like your school to be entered into the system. Include the school name as you would like it to appear in the system, street address, and district name. The email must come from a school principal or district administrator, or, alternatively, the school principal/administrator may be copied on the email to indicate that the request has been approved by administration.
2. Once a school and/or district is enrolled, they inform parents that the system is available, through various communication channels. A promotional flyer is available through Safe Routes to school for this purpose. The district/school may also provide a link directly to the School Pool site on their website.
3. Once parents are informed, they must register at https://www.schoolpool.511.org
4. Parents register in the system by entering their contact information, choosing the school that their child attends, and following the registration steps. Students' names and home addresses remain anonymous. Parents can register more than one child, even if they go to different schools.
5. At the end of the registration, parents receive a match list of other parents that are interested in sharing rides and have similar routes.
6. Parents simply call or email the other parents on their match list to connect for walk, bicycle, or carpooling.
System Demo:
To demonstrate the system, please use the test home/school information provided below.
Using this test information will ensure that you receive matches (with test students).
Test Home/School Registration Information
1) Go to https://www.schoolpool.511.org
2) Click on “Register Here”
3) Read/Agree to all the terms by checking all the confirmation boxes and clicking “I Agree” at the bottom of the page
4) Enter information into the “parent information” and “contact information” sections – you can use made-up names, phone numbers, etc.
5) In the “Home Address” section, use the following for your home address:
360 Palm Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610
6) Add at least one child to the system (again, the information can be made-up) and agree to the terms again
7) For District: Choose the “Z-Test District”
8) For School: Choose the “Z-Test Elementary School”
9) Answer remaining questions (can be made-up) and continue
10) Select the child you want to get “matches” for
11) Click the “Match Request” box
12) Confirm/modify search
13) View your “match page”
The 511.org School Pool System was developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). The MTC is the regional transportation planning, funding and financing agency for the San Francisco Bay Area. MTC operates the 511 Traveler Information program, which provides free traffic, transit, rideshare and bicycling information.
In Sonoma County, the Sonoma County Safe Routes to School Program is the sponsoring agency for the 511 SchoolPool system.
