Van Pools Blog
Pressure Grows for Congress to Extend Commuter Benefits for Public Transportation Users
January 24th, 2012 0 CommentsTransit Groups and Riders Advocate for Reversal of Expected Tax Increase of Up to $550
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Led by the CommuterBenefitsWorkForUs.Com coalition, which includes public agencies, transit operators and private businesses, pressure has grown for Congress to quickly pass legislation that would reverse cuts to the monthly pre-tax transit benefit available to commuters who use public transportation and vanpools. Without a fix, the monthly amount that can be set aside for public transportation expenses has been reduced from $230 to $125 per month. As a result, many are projected to face an increase in annual commuting costs of up to $550 this year. At the same time, the amount that can be set aside to cover parking costs as part of a commute to work increased from $230 to $240 per month due to a cost of living adjustment.
“In this economy, it makes no sense to sock hard-working mass transit commuters with a new tax increase,” said U.S. SenatorCharles Schumer, the senior senator from the State of New York. “Congress must step up to the plate and extend the full mass transit tax benefit as part of the payroll tax cut. It’s simply not fair to squeeze middle class mass transit commuters with a more expensive commute.”
VPSI and LAAFB Discuss Commute to Work Benefit Changes with Vanpool Groups
January 23rd, 2012 0 CommentsIn October, VPSI’s Orange, California team and Chris Turley, Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB), partnered to provide an update on the changes to the Commute to Work (CTW) benefit. In anticipation of a benefit reduction from $230.00 to $125.00 per month, many vanpool participants were concerned about the CTW benefit going away all together.
Chris Turley, Employee Transportation Coordinator at LAAFB
Chris and the VPSI team took a pro-active approach by presenting facts about the CTW benefit, to clarify and avoid negative reactions. VPSI reminded the group that public vanpool subsidies would continue, and also discussed vanpool costs and van sizes to accurately break down passenger costs. They also demonstrated VPSI’s vRide ride matching website, which helps vanpool groups recruit new passengers and fill empty seats.
VPSI Vanpool Eases Commute for Workers at Little Rock Air Force Base
October 19th, 2011 1 CommentBy Alice Lee-Cook
VPSI, Inc. Business Development Executive
Alice Lee-Cook hands over the keys to the VPSI van to primary vanpool driver Kark Mecca.
Little Rock Air Force Base is located in Pulaski County in Central Arkansas. The city of Jacksonville is located just outside the front gate of the base. The warm relationship between Jacksonville and the base dates back to the early 1950s when the local citizens banded together to purchase the land for the base, which they donated to the Air Force. Arkansas’ capital, Little Rock is located 17 miles north of the base. Little Rock AFB is home of the 19th Airlift Wing. There are 5,771 active duty, 5,582 family members and 546 civilians.
Recent vanpool briefings on base resulted in the first vanpool group, which started this month from Cabot, AR with Karl Mecca and Danny Mills. This was a carpool group of three initially.
“With all the budget uncertainty issues floating around – it’s great to be able to offer benefits to fellow employees,” said Lynn Shaw, Program POC LRAFB. “The local environment and 
commuting experience will improve as each new vanpool hits the road.
“Just one vanpool will make an impact on available parking at a facility and shorten the gate wait for others by two to three minutes”
Two members of this new group; Danny Mills and Mike Minnick are with the AFGE (American Federal Government Employees Union). They are excited to be in the vanpool and wanted others to know that this is a great program which will help to save commuting cost. They have even worked hard in getting the word out on Base by using the marquee to displaying the demo van at the gates.
Vanpooling: A Sustainable Commuting Solution for White Sands Missile Range
September 27th, 2011 0 CommentsBy Alonzo R. Moore
Chief, Transportation Division, USAG White Sands Missile Range
Commuting and the Environment
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), “Birthplace of America’s Missile and Space Activity” is a multi-service test range located in the Tularosa Basin of South-Central New Mexico. At almost 3,200 square miles, the range is the largest military installation in the country. WSMR occupies a 2-million-acre area about the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, and provides an infrastructure equivalent to one that supports a town of 10,000. The impact an installation of this magnitude can have on the environment is staggering, if not for the aggressive initiatives ongoing at WSMR. One of those initiatives required growing commuter participation on the installation in an effort to effectively measure, manage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance.
Attract a Sustainable Commuting Solution
For decades, dedicated WSMR employees found ways to ease the cost of transportation by forming private carpools or vanpools. Some used the bus, a traditional fixed-route transit service, to meet their commuting needs to and from the installation. However, because of the restrictions associated with a fixed-route bus service, ridership was limited and the high demand for commuting options was left unfulfilled. The economic benefit that is required to attract and sustain a commuter base requires balancing low cost aligned with the quality and convenience of the commuting experience. While commuting inherently provides an immediate cost savings over driving your vehicle, it doesn’t necessarily offer the same comfort and flexibility. Many commuters agreed that the trade-off one has to accept when commuting is the inability to have a personal vehicle available while at work. Elaine George, one of WSMR’s original commuters explains, “You do not always have the freedom to leave work and go home if you have to. You don’t always have a way around post if it is not within walking distance.” However, when weighing the use of your personal vehicle against the inherent cost savings of commuting, “There are no costs to me and no wear and tear on my personal vehicle,” said Sherri Corum, WSMR vanpool commuter.
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Read All About it: “Commuter Chronicle” Hits the Streets
August 30th, 2011 0 Comments
The fall 2011 VPSI Commuter Chronicle newsletter is on the virtual newsstands.
This time, the newsletter spotlights some of the things we’re doing to enhance our programs around the country, as well as some of the people that make vanpooling such a special and unique alternative to traditional commuting.
Click here to check out the Commuter Chronicle. And please let us know what you think.
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