The Institute seeks to help communities make better use of the empty seats in existing cars, vans, and buses (and so reduce the amount of traffic and therefore also reduce the excess consumption of energy, greenhouse gas emissions, the number of traffic accidents, the negative health impacts, the demand for expanded infrastructure, the amount of personal time wasted, and the negative economic impact caused by traffic congestion) through increased ridesharing.
The Institute has chosen three key strategies for achieving the target: carrying out an applied research program to determine the combination of factors that most effectively increase 'person throughput' of the transportation system at the best possible cost; promoting ridesharing as an important mode for transportation policy purposes; and providing a forum where interested people and organizations can interact and share good practice and the results of the applied research program.