Casual Carpool, the informal ride-sharing network that ferried East Bay commuters into San Francisco for decades, restarted service on Tuesday for the first time since it shut down at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The relaunch begins with a single pick-up point at Grand Avenue and Lake Park Avenue beneath Interstate 580 in Oakland. Drivers who collect at least two passengers can use Bay Bridge carpool lanes and drop riders near Salesforce Tower on Howard Street. The service operates 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays; riders typically offer drivers $1 or $2 toward tolls or fuel. Community organizer Camille Bermudez led the revival after a survey showed 43 percent of prospective users had never tried the service, suggesting demand from a new generation of commuters facing higher transit costs and renewed office mandates. Long-time participant Greg Riessen has introduced an app, Rapid Carpool, that pairs drivers and riders moments before pickup to streamline the process. Organizers aim to reopen the network’s pre-pandemic footprint of roughly 20 East Bay locations by August 2026, restoring an alternative that supporters say eases congestion on the Bay Bridge and cuts commuting costs.