Vanpooling

What is vanpooling?
What are the benefits of a vanpooling program?
How ATP helps
How can I encourage resident participation?

What is vanpooling?

Vanpooling is an arrangement by a group of commuters to drive together in a van to their place (or places) of business. Full-size vans and minivans carry 7 to 15 passengers and therefore are the next step up from carpools. Vanpools usually consist of individuals who live near each other and are employees of the same company (or are employees of different companies located only a short distance apart) and have the same work hours.

Here's how it works:

• A group of commuters leases a van on a month-to-month basis (no long-term commitment). Most often, the vehicle is leased from a private vanpool company.
• One member of the group volunteers to be the driver and collects the rider's monthly fares. The driver gets personal use of the van, and in many groups doesn't pay, depending on what the group decides.
• The vanpool leasing company usually covers maintenance and repairs, insurance, and even provides a backup van when needed.

What are the benefits of a vanpooling program?

Sharing rides can save your residents up to $1,500 a year by lowering their gasoline bills, insurance costs, and car maintenance. Vanpoolers can take advantage of special High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to reach their destinations faster, and they can choose to read, sleep or chat, when they're not behind the wheel. The environment benefits too. Last year, area carpools and vanpools prevented over 62 tons of harmful emissions from entering the Earth's atmosphere and saved over one million gallons of gasoline.

The average cost for a 30 mile, drive-alone commute is $229 per month. Your residents can save $145 per month by joining or forming a vanpool!

In the near future, the state of Virginia plans to offer new monthly financial subsidies for eligible and participating vanpools. The Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is developing and administering the program. In general, vanpools must originate in Northern Virginia and have destinations in the metropolitan Washington area. Participating vanpool operators will sign a service agreement and provide periodic mileage reports to WMATA.  As a community, you can operate or sponsor a vanpool service your residents or contract with an outside vanpool leasing company independently, charging a monthly fare for a group of residents.

Advantages of Vanpooling

• Facilitates use of HOV lanes for faster travel
• Your residents arrive relaxed and ready to work
• Viable option for residents who don't drive
• Reduces need for parking
• SmartBenefits are accepted towards monthly vanpool fees by most area vanpools

How ATP helps:

Arlington Transportation Partners can help you find existing vanpool vacancies for your residents or set up resident-sponsored or community-sponsored vanpools.  We can:

• Identify potential vanpool riders and drivers.
• Design vanpool programs and assist in start up.
• Organize vanpool information meetings.
• Serve as a liaison with vanpool operators and consultants.
• Help residents establish routes and policies for resident-operated vanpools.

Ways to encourage your residents to vanpool:

There are numerous ways you can get the word out and encourage resident participation in a vanpooling program, including:

• Offering free or reduced-fee parking for vanpools (for communities that currently have fee-based parking).
• Providing preferential parking (closer to the building) for vanpoolers.
• Hosting a vanpool formation party to help residents form or join vanpools.
• Providing information to residents about the Commuter Connections Ridematching service and Guaranteed Ride Home program. Arlington Transportation Partners has brochures and posters available.