Along with record-setting increases in bus ridership, Metro Transit is seeing a big jump in vanpool and vanshare participation.
One of the big reasons for the increase is the high price of fuel, according to Metro officials.
“King County now sponsors more than 1,050 vanpools – approximately 100 more than last year at this time,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “We make it convenient to personally save money, reduce congestion and cut down on commuting stress. More and more people are finding it’s a great way to start and end their work day.”
In May, 23 new vanpools were formed and Metro is projecting another 30 new starts for June. As of June 1, Metro had 889 vanpools and 169 vanshares in operation, for a total of 1,058 vans on the road. It’s an 11 percent increase over the same time last year.
Metro officials point out, too, that vanpooling is also good for the environment, because it removes roughly 5,000 cars from the road daily and eliminates 16,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the air annually.
Metro operates the largest and oldest public vanpool program in the nation. It is designed to accommodate commuters traveling to common destinations, with Metro providing the vehicle and everything else for successful ridesharing, including: rider support services; maintenance; insurance; fuel; and tires. Vanpool fares are based on a group’s round-trip mileage and the number of riders in the van.
Vanpool groups can vary from five to 15 people. The members – usually co-workers or people who work in the same vicinity – volunteer to drive and fuel the vans, keep them clean, and schedule maintenance and repair work.
Vans are typically parked at a transportation hub (rail station, park-and-ride lot, or ferry dock) and used to transport commuters between the hub to their worksites or homes. Costs are split among the van sharers.
For more information online, visit www.rideshareonline.com. Statewide, more than 15,000 people – either currently in a van group or looking for a vanpool or carpool – are registered at this site. You can also call toll-free at (800) 427-8249.
