Today, about 232,000 people, close to 40 percent of Philadelphia’s working population, leave the city to work at jobs in the suburbs, writes Jason Laughlin for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Suburban employment, however, is scattered all over and – for the city’s economically poor – virtually inaccessible.

Redesigning public transit service and encouraging more employers to come to the city or locate near transit hubs may be long-term solutions, but the Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP) is responding to the situation through its carpool service, which gets city workers to suburban jobs not accessible by public transportation.

PUP executive director John Dodds notes that about 80 percent of the region’s commuters get to work by driving, but 36 percent of Philadelphians don’t have a car.

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Currently, the service has 64 people who take advantage of 13 car pools. The 12-year-old program has had various sources of funding over the years. Recently, it has relied heavily on PennDOT to provide its $367,000 budget.

State funding, however, requires a 15 percent match and the program is having trouble finding the money. It is turning to the city, which has never contributed to the program. The city has yet to commit to the $55,000 needed to sustain the program.

Dodds hopes to not just sustain the program but expand its scope.

Read more about the city-to-suburbs transportation issue in The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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