That's the news from Anchorage transportation officials hoping to lure more commuters into carpooling to work in 2006.

The municipality's new online commuter match-up program wants to link hundreds of workers to travel buddies, while easing traffic congestion and air pollution in Alaska's biggest city.

"If you could take just one-fifth of the cars off the Glenn Highway, it would be significant," said Nancy Killoran, manager of marketing for the municipality's Share-A-Ride program.

Killoran is behind a new offbeat online promotion that provides instant matches for commuters seeking carpools. With gas prices high and winter road conditions poor, now is the time for commuters in the areas of the Matanuska Valley, Chugiak-Eagle River, Anchorage and Girdwood to give carpooling a try.

"Our overall concern is to reduce the CO (carbon monoxide) in the air and to reduce (traffic) congestion," she said.

Share-A-Ride launched a media campaign Dec. 21 to encourage commuters to visit www.peoplemover.org and click on the "Commuters, Start Your Computers" button.

The site asks users to enter their home addresses, places of employment and travel time preferences. After a few seconds, a list of matches comes back of people who share similar commutes.

"Carpooling reduces stress, saves on gas and is a great way to meet new friends," said professional broadcaster Kim Kane, whose booming voice promotes the program in radio advertisements. "So stop being a S.O.V., a single occupant vehicle, and start clicking with Anchorage Share-A-Ride's new online ride matching service.

"When you share the ride, you're guaranteed to save time, money and commuter stress," she said.

Getting Kane, a former Anchorage disc jockey, as the voice for the commercial was a bit of luck, Killoran said.

"She used to be a DJ in Anchorage, but is now in New York as on-air talent, (and a) writer/producer with MTV Satellite Radio," Killoran said. "She was hanging around with her friends at her old station and asked if she could help out with anything. Voila, she was the one who cut the spot."

The municipality's ride-sharing program dates back to 1974, about the same time the People Mover bus service started, but it was very limited at the time, Killoran said.

As of Dec. 20, the day before the new promotion started, Share-A-Ride had 4,661 commuters in its database, Killoran said. Of that group, there were 934 commuters participating in 644 car pools and another 359 commuters in 24 van pools, she said.

Through the years, a number of residents in the Anchorage area have shared rides to work. They are not in the city's database because they were already ride-sharing, plus they may not do it every day, Killoran said. Even if they ride-share just once a week, it helps decrease traffic congestion and carbon monoxide pollution, she said.

The radio commercials and e-mail within the municipality of Anchorage employee groups brought 15 new commuters into the program in just one day, she said. "We would like to get 1,000 new people into the database in the first three months of the new year, and I think we can even get more," she said.

The more people who sign up, the greater the chance of matching them with someone who lives in their neighborhood and works near their place of work, she said.

Commuters who log on to sign up are asked to enter their home and work addresses, so that the Ride Pro computer program can match them up with someone at similar locations. The program is confidential, and only phone numbers or e-mail addresses are provided to others.

Potential program participants are also asked some personal questions, such as their preferences about traveling with smokers or nonsmokers, and favorite radio stations they listen to in the car.

Once matched by the computer with potential ride sharing partners, they are encouraged to get to know each other, Killoran said.

If, for instance, they listen only to classical music, and you listen only to country music, it might not be a good match, Killoran said.

"Sign on now, and if you don't find a ride match, you will be asked if you want to enlarge your circle," perhaps driving a little farther to connect with your commuting partner, she said.