While the company carpool has helped plenty of co-workers in the past, the Regional Transportation Commission has started a program to get passengers out of the backseat and behind some handle bars.

RTC’s Bike Buddies program, started earlier this year under a grant from the Nevada Department of Public Transportation Commission, is helping first-time bike commuters make it safely to work. And pedaling from here to there not as hard as most believe, especially when there is an experienced rider nearby to show newbies the ropes.

Felicia Archer, the public information officer at RTC, has watched this program grow, totaling nearly 75 experienced and novice bike riders to date. She said the climate is right for alternative modes of transportation.

“As far as RTC is concerned, every person that gets out of their car and tries something new, it reduces the amount of cars on the road,” Archer said. “This reduces the amount of cars on the road and reduces trip congestion. The cost of gas is another incentive.”

All levels of bike riders are welcome, Archer said, and are encouraged to create an online profile detailing their biking experience, work commute route and time of commute. Their profiles are then matched with other riders with coinciding routes, aiming to match up experienced riders with less-experienced riders.

“The idea of bicycling on city streets can be intimidating for new riders and people who only ride recreationally,” Carol Perry, an RTC trip reduction specialist, said in a press release. “Finding a riding companion makes people more likely to try bicycling instead of driving and to continue biking.”

Experienced riders are encouraged to coach and give novice riders tips for traffic commuting, Perry said.

And Terry McAfee does just that.

An experienced recreational rider for much of his life, McAfee is the president of the local bike riding group the Procrastinating Pedalers. Most days, he rides his bike the 9 miles to work — a 20-minute trip — and he recently joined the Bike Buddies program.

“This year, I decided that I didn’t want to be captive to oil companies,” McAfee said, explaining that he has been commuting regularly to work since May of this year. “We’re so dependent on gasoline. I just don’t like the dependency.”

One of McAfee’s biggest tips for beginning riders is to map out several different routes to work and try them out on the weekends to figure out which one works best.

“It’s easy to get in your car,” McAfee said. “But with a little practice it’s easy to get on your bike.”

Another experienced rider and fellow Bike Buddy is Manuel Becerra, a web designer and developer for Truckee Meadows Community College. Becerra, who admits he bike commutes just about everywhere including to his work, echoes McAfee’s dedication, saving about $200 a month on gas.

“I parked my truck and said to myself, ‘It’s a little more gratifying biking to work,’” Becerra said. “It’s a lifestyle. You have to learn road signals and become a predictable bike rider. Both bikers and drivers are really scared to unpredictable riders.”

And novice riders seem to be catching the biking bug as well.

Christine Campbell, a marketing administrator at RTC and a member of the Bike Buddies program, has just started biking her 30-minute commute from Sparks to an RTC office on Terminal Way in Reno. Campbell raves about the health benefits.

“It’s great; we actually added a couple miles more than it would be driving,” Campbell said. “And now, no matter how the day goes, it’s nice to look forward to that down time (bicycling back).”

But whether bike commuting is for health or cost reasons, McAfee said it’s hard to pinpoint a single reason to use two wheels instead of four.

“It’s good for you, it’s good for the environment, good for the community,” McAfee said, “and it’s fun.”

For more information about the Bike Buddies program and to create a bike rider profile, visit www.rtcwashoe.greenride.com. Bike riders without access to a computer are encouraged to call 348-POOL and ask for Perry to create a profile.