As much as she likes helping dogs and cats, part-time veterinarian Donna Horne has a bigger vision for helping the planet: curbing our carbon footprint by introducing compatibility-based ridesharing via an Internet site that provides background checks on potential riders and drivers.

“It’s pretty creepy out there in the world of carpooling,” said Horne, who, with engineer Michael Baird, launched ZoomPool last month. The online carpool site is one of several formed in response to higher gas prices, tighter budgets and a growing interest in environmental stewardship.

Like many other sites, ZoomPool allows people to find others who are going to the same place at the same time. It may, however, be the first site that provides a way for drivers and riders to gauge their compatibility and safety before jumping in the car together.

Horne says she wouldn’t get in a stranger’s car without some information about the driver and wouldn’t want to drive around with complete strangers. ZoomPool “is totally about making it more safe and compatible, not just for environmental reasons but as a way to be supportive of the community.”

There are dozens of government-run programs such as 511.org and 429-POOL and private sites such as Zimride.com, erideshare.com or craigslist.org that connect riders with drivers, but they don’t check for key compatibility issues such as chatty personalities or quiet ones, preferences for radio news, country-western or silence, allergies, smoking and gender. 

“This gives you a chance to make new friends in a very low stress way,” Horne said. “By carpooling, you can see if you ever want to go out with them again.”

Rather than focus on long-term daily commuting relationships, ZoomPool also facilitates one-time rides to the kind of people who don’t want to drive alone up to San Francisco for an art exhibit, or to San Jose for a conference or wedding.

Members may opt into the service for free or they can pay $15 per year to be a Certified Member, which means they are screened annually for drunken driving violations and other personal security issues not speeding tickets. The company collects driver’s licenses and car insurance information.

“Using ZoomPool to facilitate carpooling was a no-brainer,” said Virginia Lee, who last month organized the Wellness Fair at Cabrillo College, an annual fundraiser for the College of Botanical Healing Arts. “As the price of gas continues to creep back up and people are forced to be more resourceful with limited financial resources, I would say that ZoomPool is an idea whose time has come.”

ZoomPool riders are charged 20 cents per mile. No cash is exchanged because ZoomPool members pay online with a credit card. The company, which pays fees, takes 14 percent for processing. A rider’s payment is preauthorized but not actually completed until 30 minutes after a trip begins so riders can cancel a transaction if plans fall through. Drivers receive 17.2 cents per mile from each rider up to three riders. They can either store their earnings at ZoomPool to use later or receive twice-monthly checks. The minimum cost for rides is $1. The maximum limit of 20 cents per mile is to prevent profiteering from drivers. After a shared trip, riders are asked to respond to a short feedback survey much like eBay allows buyers to grade sellers.

Since the company was incorporated just over a year ago, Baines and Horne have invested their own cash and relied on family funding totaling about $100,000 and employees who will work for low wages and equity. Currently Horne is trying to sell the idea to venture capitalists in search of $1.9 million in funding to grow the company nationally.

Horne is not a stranger to small business. More than 20 years ago, she launched a veterinarian hospital in her New Hampshire home and grew it into a 20-person company before selling it two years ago to move to Bonny Doon and marry fellow veterinarian David Horne, who works at Companion Animal Hospital in Santa Cruz.

While the competition of other online rideshare sites could be daunting, Horne says the biggest obstacle is just getting people out of their cars.

“Inertia is actually our largest competitor,” Horne said.

ZoomPool is working with the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County for Open Studios and with organizers of Green Business Camp Santa Cruz 2009 next month.

“We want to promote all aspects of green business,” said Aaron Greene who is helping to organize the Green Business Camp. “ZoomPool does a great job of reducing your carbon foot print.”

For more information, visit zoompool.com.