Commuters will soon have an easy way to search for others in need of cheaper methods of travel.

St. Joseph will be the newest addition to a program known as RideShare, offered through the Mid-America Regional Council.

"It's like an online dating service for commuters," said Kelsy Marr, transportation planner for the city's Public Works and Transportation Department.

Ms. Marr initiated a city resolution in June to have a memorandum of understanding with the regional council and the city of Lawrence, Kan., to join RideShare, to promote alternative modes of transportation.

"It was in direct response to the higher gas prices we've been seeing," Ms. Marr said. "This is the quickest and most cost-effective way to get people to and from Kansas City and St. Joseph."

Using a Web site created in 2006 called Carpool Connection, users can sign up for a free account and search for others in their area who are commuting to the same destination or near where they need to go.

The program matches users by their starting and ending locations, what times and days they need to commute, gender preferences and smoking preferences. From this Web site, users can e-mail their matches to set up commuter carpools. There are currently 9,320 registered users on the Web site.

RideShare works for individuals as well as employers. Employers can sign up for free and provide in-house commuting services solely for their employees. Users can search their specific employer for other employees who need or can provide rides.

Ms. Marr hopes to have St. Joseph employers register their businesses for RideShare. She also wants to have Missouri Western State University register, so students who live in Kansas City can carpool.

"I think this is a fabulous tool to do that," Ms. Marr said. "It's really a great way for students to log on, find others and commute to and from campuses."

Marge Gasnick, RideShare manager of the regional council, said the program began in the late 1970s when oil prices started to rise, and Kansas City wanted to help people who were struggling with the high price of gas. The Mid-America Regional Council took over the program in the late 1980s, and currently serves nine counties around the Kansas City metropolitan area.

"We already have quite a few people in St. Joseph who work in Kansas City who use the program, so we've been working to officially add them," Ms. Gasnick said. There are 50 St. Joseph users registered on the Carpool Connection Web site.

In Kansas City, the regional council ensures all registered RideShare users they won't get stranded at work with its Guaranteed Ride Home program. Twice a year, users can call for an emergency taxi pickup to take them home.

"That program is very comforting," Ms. Marr said. "We are looking into doing something similar. We don't want anyone to be hesitant to use the RideShare program because of a fear of being stranded at work."

RideShare also keeps an updated map so users can find park-and-ride commuter parking lots. These lots can be used as meeting spots for users, or for commuters to park and use city transit systems to finish travel.

St. Joseph's launch on the Carpool Connection Web site, as part of the RideShare program, is expected to be in September. One-time set-up fees are $11,900, with an annual maintenance fee of $3,000. The program will be funded through federal transportation money.

Ms. Marr said the city is working on other projects to promote alternative modes of travel, including putting bike racks on the front of transit buses, and having buses routed to the park-and-ride locations in St. Joseph.

"Our overall goal is to connect different modes of transportation together," Ms. Marr said. "The future of transportation is uncertain, so I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is have our primary vehicle, a car, become just an option."