The Illinois State community is encouraged to hitch a ride this Thanksgiving – and maybe win an iPad.

Illinois State University’s Department of Parking and Transportation is encouraging the campus community to search for rides home for Thanksgiving via Zimride, the largest online social rideshare community in North America.

“Zimride is great for those who need a ride, or are planning to drive and want to make a few extra bucks driving others,” said Director of Parking and Transportation Julie North.

Zimride is a free platform that allows participants to post rides or post the need for rides online at www.zimride.illinoisstate.edu. The University began a partnership with Zimride earlier this year. All Illinois State University students, faculty and staff can access the free Illinois State Zimride network. The private system requires a UID and log-on email to access the system.

North announced that anyone from Illinois State who adds a ride in November will automatically be entered to win an iPad. “We like to think of this as an extra incentive to get students to share rides this holiday season,” said North.

Zimride is unique in that participants can create profiles that show their preferences for such things as travel music and smoking to help ensure an enjoyable ride. More than 350,000 users take part in Zimride across 80 college and university campuses.

The University’s commitment to Zimride is all part of the dedication to creating a greener campus, according to North. “Zimride makes ridesharing easy and offers a sustainable opportunity for everyone to collectively make a difference,” she said.

For additional information, visit the Parking Service website at www.parking.ilstu.edu, email North at jenorth@ilstu.edu or call her at 438-8397.