Carpool Websites Are Booming To save money, riders and drivers are looking for each other.

Whether carpooling to save money, the environment or commuting time, one thing is for sure: Packing in passengers is picking up speed. And as a direct result, the web is seeing a fast-growing number of carpool websites that match riders with drivers.

As a veteran entrepreneur in the carpool website scene, Steven Schoeffler has seen and felt the effects of the recent surge: "[2008] was a very different year for the carpooling world--for the whole transportation world." He admits it was a slow startup environment when he launched eRideShare.com in 1999, but interest in his site's free and paid services has picked up, bringing in 2008 sales of less than $100,000 for the company. Schoeffler, 46, offers free carpool matching to individuals and groups under 200. His fee-based service is a password-protected ride listing that matches employees and even keeps track of company mileage, fuel, emissions reductions and financial savings, like the reduced depreciation of the vehicle.