Please circulate so people are aware of this option for making commuting more affordable, accessible & sustainable. So far this new service is little known and there have been no sign ups. es
April 28 Ithaca Journal http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/NEWS01/804280319/-1/buildasx TCAT planning van pools for out-of-county commuters From Journal Staff Reports ITHACA - With help from Cornell University, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit hopes to arrange a fleet of pooled vans commuters would share to get into Ithaca. The van pools would be a first for Tompkins County, but the idea is used in many big cities by large employers. A van pool is a group of seven to 15 people who commute together on a regular basis in a commuter van. TCAT is exploring contracting with a third-party company that would provide vans to be used by groups of commuters who would designate a driver and share the costs, which would likely be less than paying for fueling their own vehicles. TCAT and the contractor would help organize the pools after fielding requests from commuters. The pool could also be made up by the commuters themselves. TCAT and the contractor plan to analyze requests and needs to determine where clusters of potential users are. TCAT hopes to have the pools ready to operate by August or September in time for the next academic year, said Michelle Tedesco, operations analyst for TCAT. The plan is in response to needs of people inside and outside of Tompkins County who work in Ithaca but aren't served by TCAT or another bus line. According to Cornell University, some of its employees live as far away as Syracuse and Rochester, with a large group in Cortland, Tedesco said. The van pool service could serve Tompkins County residents, but officials anticipate it will be sought mostly by out-of-county commuters, she said. Pools could also work for people whose schedules don't allow them to use TCAT's regularly scheduled bus lines because they work late at night or early in the morning. As of late last week, when TCAT held an informational meeting on van pools, no one had signed up and no contract has been signed with a van operator, Tedesco said. It's likely the contract would not be exclusive, so more than one van company could be involved. Cornell has provided some funding for starting the program. The goal is to keep costs in the $65-75 per month range. Some commuters are paying that much a week, Tedesco said. One of the country's major van pool companies, VPSI, says van poolers generally pay 5 cents per mile. Under one arrangement under consideration, a group's designated driver would be allowed to keep the van on nights and weekends for personal use. No special license would be required, though one potential contractor has said it could provide training and driving practice, Tedesco said. The van pools would have to originate in or be headed to TCAT's service area. Cornell's campus and downtown Ithaca are expected to be the most common destinations. According VPSI, a recently enacted van pooling program is in El Paso County, Texas. There, residents have a 30-day pay-as-you go program and an emergency ride home option in case a passenger has to deviate from the regular ride schedule, according to VPSI's Web site. Originally published April 28, 2008 for more info and to sign up , see http://www.tcatbus.com/vanpool.php -- Elan Shapiro Sustainable Tompkins Program Co-Chair Sustainable Living Associates, Principal Frog's Way B&B 211 Rachel Carson Way Ithaca, NY 14850 607-275-0249 "We must be the change we want to see in the world" Mohandas Gandhi _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
