Summer of Hell: Student launches carpooling app

Aboard New Jersey Transit this summer, the only thing certain about your commute is uncertainty.

The infamous Summer of Hell is here. Aging tracks at Penn Station are closed for repairs, significantly reducing the number of trains servicing the nation's busiest station.

As commuters struggle for a Plan B, Alec Aronwald has an offer he says you can't refuse.

"Basically connecting fellow commuters that already currently drive with fellow passengers to carpool together into the city so they don't have to deal with this shutdown," he says.

Aronwald, a college sophomore, initially created the CarPo app for college students to carpool long distances together. When the New Jersey native noticed how difficult the Morris and Essex line commute had become, he adjusted. The app now connects New Jersey drivers with commuters for a carpool service into New York City.

"Passengers would get a more convenient, and even affordable ride, and drivers would get reimbursed for their travel expenses," Aronwald says.

The ride cost is competitive with New Jersey Transit, too. Aronwald says each ride costs about $5 a person.

Summer of Hell ends September 1, but that doesn't mean CarPo does. In October, Phase 1 will launch at 11 universities where students can carpool home together.

http://ridecarpo.com/