Carpool apps offer an affordable solution to I-70 traffic. Why haven’t they taken off?
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FRISCO, Colo. — When Erwin Germain moved from Paris to Denver in 2015, it wasn’t the croissants or world-class museums he missed — it was public transportation and carpooling.
Germain grew up at the foot of the Alps in Grenoble, France. Buses and trains provided easy access to skiing, and carpool apps offered affordable city-to-city transportation.
What makes carpooling special is its “freedom and flexibility,” said Germain, who moved to the U.S. to live with his partner. Unlike planes or trains, with “carpooling you can book last minute and it’s going to be the same price.”
Germain worked as a dispatcher for the Summit Express, a shuttle company that operates between Denver International Airport and Summit County. He saw just how bad ski traffic on Interstate 70 could get.
In 2024, drivers completed nearly 13 million trips through the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Drawing from the model of carpool apps he used in Europe, Germain launched TreadShare in 2019. The app aims to reduce the number of vehicles on the road by connecting drivers and passengers.
For now, the app is primarily oriented towards skiers and snowboarders.
Drivers post rides on the app for trips they’re already planning to complete. Passengers can connect with drivers who are going to similar destinations and cover a portion of the driver’s costs.
Germain received a cease and desist letter from the Department of Regulatory Agencies soon after his launch of TreadShare. The state’s existing regulations were designed for ride share companies like Lyft and Uber, not for skiers hoping to reduce congestion.
In 2021, state lawmakers passed House Bill 21-1076, creating a framework for businesses like TreadShare to operate legally. The law stipulated that carpool drivers cannot earn a profit from the rides they provide, rides must be greater than 23 miles unless to a ski area and no more than six passengers are allowed per driver. TreadShare charges a roughly 10% fee on each transaction.
Companies like TreadShare and Caravan are not subject to the same regulations and fees as ride-share behemoths.
Since relaunching in 2021, 9,000 users have signed up for TreadShare and 600 have booked rides.
Despite incentives from ski areas like Arapahoe Basin, which offers free parking to cars with more than four passengers, and Eldora, which charges for single-occupancy vehicles on certain days, carpooling remains a niche way to travel.
Trey Roberson, 32, started using TreadShare last year after reading about the app on Reddit. He moved to Arvada, Colorado from Virginia six months before the pandemic. After learning to snowboard, Roberson wanted to connect with other snowboarders. He started driving for TreadShare.
“It wasn’t even for the money. I was just trying to expand my people to go with,” said Roberson.
Since starting a new job in home restoration, Roberson has less time to go snowboarding. But when he does go, he typically posts a ride on TreadShare and said that about half the time, he connects with a passenger.
TreadShare provides drivers with a suggested price based on the trip mileage, but they are able to adjust what they charge per seat. Roberson said he typically charges $10 for gas and $10 for parking for a ride to Arapahoe Basin.
Roberson tried the app initially as a passenger, but he prefers driving his own vehicle.
“I like to take my car, listen to my music,” said Roberson, who listens to MF Doom, “weird punk rock” and techno when he drives.
A 2024 survey of over 3,000 I-70 travelers found that about 75% of Front Range respondents have reduced the number of ski and snowboard outings because of traffic.
Roberson said he’s never had a bad experience using the app, but he understands why people are hesitant.
“People right now are very insular. They don’t want to connect. They don’t want to come together. They don’t want to do anything together,” he said. “I’m still trying to fight the good fight and be outgoing, but I get the apprehension.”
TreadShare requires that all drivers submit a driver’s license and proof of insurance. The app offers drivers the option to become “verified” by submitting to a background check, but at this point it’s up to drivers to pay the $19 for a background check. Passengers are able to message with drivers before confirming and the app encourages users to provide social media accounts.
Nora Gilbertson said that safety is “always a thought that’s in the back of your head,” but that she didn’t have any specific concerns about using TreadShare.
Gilbertson lives in Silverthorne, Colorado. She has used the app as a passenger and driver.
“When you’re stuck in traffic and you look around and you see 10 other cars around you with only one driver in them, it feels like you’re part of the problem,” she said.
During one of her rides, Gilberston picked up a snowboarder at Denver International Airport who was meeting her friends in Breckenridge.
”It was really cool to be able to share my local community and tell her where to go, what part of the mountain and what my favorite restaurants were,” said Gilbertson.
She thinks that the biggest hurdle for carpool services to take off is the number of people on the app.
“It being a two-sided marketplace, you just need more users. The more rides that are posted, the more usable it becomes.”
Germain said that marketing the service has been the biggest challenge. He started TreadShare using his own savings and grant funding from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“The main issue here for us is the lack of budget,” he said.
In 2024, 91% of Front Range respondents to a survey by the I-70 coalition said they had never heard of TreadShare.
This year, Germain has focused full-time on expanding the business. He’s partnered with Arapahoe Basin to build a private carpool service for the resort’s roughly 400 employees. Ski areas pay a subscription fee. In exchange, TreadShare uses its platform to organize employee rides.
“That's immediate revenue for us that we can reinvest to do marketing outreach for recreational carpooling, and also that allows me to show more traction to convince potential investors to fund us,” said Germain.
Germain is currently seeking funding for outreach through startup accelerator programs.
Whether as a means to “combat loneliness” or lower the costs of driving, Gilbertson thinks that Americans will eventually come around to the benefits of carpooling.
“If you go to South America, all they're doing is a freestyle version of what TreadShare is doing. They're doing it without the app,” she said. “Like, you're walking down the road, they'll pick you up, you give them some money and they take you to where you need to go. It’s nice to formalize it.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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