BATON ROUGE - A program to help coordinate carpooling in the Baton Rouge area could be available online by the end of the year.

The Capital Region Planning Commission has been awarded a grant from the state Department of Transportation and Development for a software program designed to help connect commuters to share rides to and from work.

The Advocate reports the GreenRide program uses an Internet-based approach that can be customized to let employees of a single company connect to share a ride to work or be open to the general public to connect neighbors who might be traveling to the same place.

As part of customizing computer software for Baton Rouge area commuters, the planning commission is asking the public to complete an online survey focusing on driving habits.