Scoop Frequently Asked Questions

Scoop is a dynamic rideshare app that allows members of the Berkeley Lab community to connect with one another to arrange for rides to and from work.

The Lab is working with Scoop to decrease the number of single-occupant vehicles to the Lab. This will result in four things:

• Lowering CO2 emissions with fewer solo drivers 
• Improving the local neighborhoods with fewer vehicles on the streets
• Reducing the strain on the Lab’s parking resources 
• Building community by connecting people

 Scoop is an app-based program that connects Lab community members who have signed up for shared rides to and/or from work. These can be occasional rides or rides on a more regular schedule. You can ride with one driver to work and ride home with another. Or ride one way and use public transit the other. 

Riders and drivers share the cost of the commute. Riders pay a nominal fee, largely based on distance, and drivers are reimbursed directly in the app. Once you download the app and register with your Lab email, enter your primary commute addresses to check on pricing.

 Costs are largely determined by distance, though Scoop makes periodic pricing adjustments based on other factors to build participation and optimize rider-driver balance. Pricing and reimbursement are always visible in the app before booking a carpool trip.

No, there is no subsidy. All funds are exchanged between the driver and the passenger through a third-party app.

Not exactly. Scoop is a dynamic model that adds flexibility and convenience to carpooling. Rather than assigning users into recurring carpool groups, Scoop handles each independent carpool request and is designed to find the best carpool for each independent request.

No, since Scoop is dynamic it can change with your plans. There are two independent scheduling windows every day of the workweek, and you can schedule to ride or drive.

We need enough people in the pool to make matches. If you are signed up you are not required to use the service, but by signing up you can learn more and see how a dynamic ride service may make your commute easier.

Yes, unpredictability works well with Scoop. You can ride or drive with one or two others in the morning, then ride or drive home with different carpoolers if you need to stay later.

Download the app from Google Play or the App Store. Follow the setup instructions, and enter and verify your Lab email address. Set up your primary commute to see pricing, and then schedule your first trip.

In the morning, riders who have been canceled on or whose requests were not matched will be added to the Shortlist. There, their requests can be matched by drivers looking to pick up riders for the commute. In the evening, Scoop offers a Guaranteed Ride Home program for riders who used Scoop to get to work in the morning and did not get matched in the afternoon.

Scoop offers a Guaranteed Ride Home, reimbursable up to $50 per month, to support riders who used Scoop in the morning, but did not get matched in an evening carpool. See eligibility details on the Scoop help page and Scoop app FAQ.

Yes, it is. You can register for the Alameda County Guaranteed Ride Home program.

No. Wage Works is a pre-tax benefit account used to pay for public transit—including train, subway, bus, ferry or vanpool—as part of your daily commute to and from work. Scoop rideshare is not considered public transit.

Scoop’s dynamic matching algorithm facilitates the most convenient two-person and three-person carpools possible. This means that, while Lab employees are likely to ride together, it is possible that a Scoop carpool will include neighbors and carpoolers from the surrounding community.

Currently, the Lab’s program only includes the main Lab campus in Berkeley.

All drivers undergo a motor vehicle history check before they can schedule trips. Additionally, user feedback on both riders and drivers is collected after every trip to ensure that carpoolers follow Scoop’s Community Guidelines.

The Laboratory does not provide your personal information to Scoop and does not have access to any personal information you provide to Scoop.   Information you provide, including your credit card or banking information, would be voluntarily provided by you to Scoop under the terms of their agreement with you and this agreement also defines how Scoop may use your data.   The University/Laboratory is not a party to these transactions and does not provide any assurances about Scoop’s information practices. 

No, you will create a unique password for the Scoop app when you first install it.   Do not use your Lab password as your Scoop password.