RIDE Solutions is expanding its carpool matching service into the New River Valley.

The service is part of the organizations' mission to reduce ground-level ozone. That mission is tied to the Roanoke Valley's Ozone Early Action Plan, a plan intended to head off federally mandated restrictions on ozone-generating businesses and vehicles.

RIDE Solutions, a 5-year-old nonprofit carpool matching and alternative transportation service funded in part by state and local governments, uses a computer mapping system that considers starting point, destination and work schedules to match potential carpool partners.

According to program director Jeremy Holmes, Virginia Tech alone has more than 2,700 employees who have a round trip to work of more than 50 miles and 600 employees who travel more than 150 miles a day.

People can register for the service by calling (866) 424-3334 or by going online to www.ridesolutions.org.

-- Tim Thornton