Free ride-sharing service rewards commuters

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- What would it take to get you to carpool? How about free concerts and sporting events or restaurant discounts?

A program called NuRide is using these incentives to get you to drop the keys and find a smarter way to commute.

Rick Hajek has been using the NuRide program for more than a decade. He carpools to the medical center from Missouri City every day with his wife, and since they can ride together, they both get to earn benefits.

"It works out really great, I just drop my wife off on the way here, and I also work in the medical center, and it's real easy, then I pick her up on the way home," Hajek said.

The NuRide website tracks your miles and rewards you for walking, biking, carpooling, taking public transportation, or even working from home. It can even help you find a carpool buddy or a ride. Registered "NuRiders" can use the website to look for other NuRiders in the area. Think of it as a free UBER.

"Now we are used to a lot of the new apps where you have to pay to have someone drive you, maybe someone else is already going and they're not going to charge you, they're going to let you ride with them," Hajek explained.

Rick has earned hundreds of awards from NuRide -- everything from Astros Games, to concerts, to restaurant discounts, event tickets for the family to the Renaissance Festival. He says the biggest reward is knowing how much money he's saved.

"it's like almost getting another car," he said.

In ten years, Rick has saved over $25,000 and three thousand gallons of gasoline.

"It ended up changing our driving habits."

NuRide has a mobile friendly site, the app is launching next year.