Van Pools Blog
CommuteInfo Helps Commuters Save Money in 2012
March 6th, 2012 0 CommentsPittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Nine new vanpool groups will be traveling from various parts of the region to Cranberry to help area employees find an easy, cost-effective way to work. A group of employees in the Cranberry area found an easy and convenient way to help save money this year by starting with something many of us do nearly every day: getting to work. When Vic Perry and several of his colleagues were looking for a better, less expensive way to get to work, he suggested they find out more about vanpooling. “My wife had taken a van from White Oak to Oakland for about seven years because she disliked driving,” said Perry. “I decided to explore the feasibility of using that form of transportation as a cost alternative.”
SPC’s CommuteInfo program staff worked with the group to evaluate their commuting alternatives. “One of those employees knew about vanpooling and the CommuteInfo program,” said Lisa Kay Schweyer of the CommuteInfo program. “Interested in learning more about how CommuteInfo might be able to save him and his fellow co-workers money, he contacted the program through the toll-free number. Several follow-up meetings were held and one by one, new vanpool groups were formed.” With the addition of these new vanpools, the CommuteInfo program has seen a 20% increase in the number of vanpool groups over the last year.
“I hear from a few of the newly established vanpools what a pleasure it is to take the van from places such as Irwin, going on the Turnpike and to Cranberry,” said Perry. “They are saving time and money. CommuteInfo has been a great cost savings for many now using it as a viable alternative.”
CommuteInfo partners with other agencies to offer a wide range of services to employers and commuters within the region, including a toll free number for information and referrals, vanpool/carpool/bikepool rider matching, transit/biking/walking resources, park-n-ride facility information, and transportation resource fair lists. For more information about CommuteInfo and commuter alternatives, please visit www.commuteinfo.org, or call toll free 1-888-819-6110.
VPSI’s Paul Fancsali explains vehicle safety to the new vanpool group.
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is the region’s forum for collaboration, planning and public decision-making. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the ten-county region including the City of Pittsburgh and the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland, SPC is responsible for planning and prioritizing the use of all state and federal transportation funds allocated to the region. As the Local Development District (LDD) and Economic Development District for Southwestern Pennsylvania (as designated by the U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce), SPC establishes regional economic development priorities and provides a wide range of public services to the region.
VPSI is the vanpool provider for the CommuteInfo Program.
Turn off your Cell Phone while Driving
March 6th, 2012 0 Comments
You may have seen a number of articles over the past couple of months talking about distracted driving and the potential regulation of the use of cell phones by drivers. Many of these articles are talking about what may be happening with vehicle technology in the future, and some of the new statistics and research around the issue of distracted driving. Also, many states have passed their own laws regarding how a cell phone or other device may be used while driving.
We’d just like to give all of our drivers the friendly reminder that all of our drivers are prohibited from the use of cell phones (including hands-free devices) or any other audio or video equipment while operating the vehicle. This includes any devices that we have installed in the vehicle for testing or data collection. We take the safety of our drivers and passengers very seriously, and believe that the safest way to drive a vanpool is to focus on driving.
If you have any questions regarding this issue, please contact our Safety Department for more information.
Alaska Students Team up to Promote Vanpooling
March 6th, 2012 0 CommentsIn February of 2011 VPSI began mentoring students at the American Charter Academy in Wasilla, Alaska. The students were challenged to a unique competition that involved teams of students to come up with an entire marketing plan for the Mat Su Borough’s new vanpool program, “Alaska Vanpool”. The students learned about alternate transportation options, including vanpooling. Each team would develop a marketing program from beginning to end and would receive guidance and advice from VPSI along the way. The winning team’s program would then be funded by VPSI up to $5,000.00. Each team of students worked hard for months to refine their ideas. They worked entirely on their own time, and even got together on weekends and after school.
Our celebrity judges Jed Smith with the Alaska Center for the Environment and Patty Sullivan with the Mat Su Borough Public Affairs Office had their work cut out for them. Each group had unique and wonderful ideas. However, the winning program involved all of the aspects of a successful marketing campaign. Their entire campaign involved an artistic rendering of the Valley Van on the road to “Saving Money Ahead” for promotional posters, a magnet that describes the “dizzying gas prices” and the savings they would realize by vanpooling instead. The centerpiece of their program involved a commercial for YouTube audiences that could be attached to a web ad via the local newspaper.
The campaign was so impressive that Anchorage Share-A-Ride matched the $5,000.00 that VPSI initially invested. These very talented high school students can now put the creation of a professional marketing campaign on their college admission applications. On December 15th, each member of the winning team was given a commemorative plaque and a $100 Visa gift card at a ceremony, held in front the entire school. As a special bonus VPSI was able to donate $1,000.00 to the Academy’s “Student Success” scholarship program. Becky Huggins, the Principal, said that the students found a lot of confidence through the process and were really proud of all that they accomplished.
Left to right, the members of the winning team: Reed, Matt, Gina, Cody, Robbie, and Elena.
Congratulations to the students of the American Charter Academy for their great work. VPSI and Anchorage Share-A-Ride are very proud of the results and honored to be able to partner with ACA on this.
VPSI Vice President joins Advisory Board of National Center for Transit Research
November 17th, 2011 1 CommentIn October, Jon Martz, VPSI’s VP Government Relations, was honored by being invited to join the Advisory Board of the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) at the University of South Florida.
Joel Volinksi, NCTR Director, congratulates Jon Martz on his joining the NCTR Advisory Board, at an October recognition and awards dinner at the University of South Florida
The National Center for Transit Research is the preeminent university-based transit and alternative-transportation research institute in the United States. The principal, though not exclusive, focus of NCTR is on public transportation, broadly defined as alternatives to the single occupant vehicle, includes modes such as carpooling and vanpooling, paratransit, bus, and guideway transit technologies.
The NCTR Advisory Board consists of fourteen experts in the public transportation community with knowledge in the areas of public transportation research, transit planning and operations, and alternative forms of transportation. The role of the Advisory Board is to provide insights on issues dealing with public transportation and alternative forms of transportation, and to help NCTR in the review the of scope of research projects that have been selected.
Houston Hosts Vanpool Safety Meetings
November 17th, 2011 0 CommentsAs part of VPSI’s ongoing efforts to promote safe driving, Cecilia Cannon, VPSI’s Houston Project Manager, hosted several vanpool safety meetings for volunteer vanpool driversin the month of October. The meetings were at Marathon Oil, the Harris County Appraisal District, the Houston VA Medical Center and the Houston Veterans Administration Regional Office. Ms. Cannon was accompanied by VPSI Account Managers Henry Moz and Jeffrey Miller. Andy Bawden, a Vanpool Safety Instructor for VPSI, conducted the meetings.
Each of the 70-minute meetings began by asking the drivers to identify the different sizes of the vans used, the lengths of the commutes, the number of drivers in each van and where the vans are parked when not at the workplace. With this information Mr. Bawden provided instructions on how to safely handle a van in many situations. He then presented The Vanpool Difference, VPSI’s three-part 14-minute safety video. At the beginning and end of each part the drivers discussed what they had seen and offered comments relative to their own vanpooling experiences.
VPSI thanks Ellen Meyer at Marathon Oil, Charlene Fields at the Harris County Appraisal District, Martha Barragan at Houston VA Medical Center and Mittie Gregory and Jo Ann White at the VA Regional Office for all their help and support in organizing these meetings recently and in the past.
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
-
-
Testimonials
The South Florida Vanpool Program [operated by VPSI] has been a real benefit! The cost savings alone makes the venture ... Read More
Five years ago, we asked VPSI to step outside the box and entertain the idea of a commuter van that ... Read More
Growing up on vanpools Vanpooling has been a part of my life for over the last 12 years. I first started ... Read More
Blogroll
Environment
- 41 Pounds
- AlternativeEnergy.com
- Calculate Your Carbon Footprint Here!
- CarbonFund.org
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Earth Lab
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Gas Price Rant
- Hybrid Cars
- My Energy Friends
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Robin Chase Blog
- Spare the Air
- Sustainable Facility
- The Alternative Consumer
- The Leonardo Academy
Green Blogs
Tools
Transportation
- 95 Express
- American Public Transportation Association
- Association for Commuter Transportation
- Automotive-fleet.com
- Car Free World
- Center for Transportation Excellence
- CommuterPageBlog
- Commuters Switch to Public Transportation
- Fort Levanworth
- getDowntown
- GoLoco
- Housing and Transportation Affordability index
- iRideBlog
- Pick Up Pal
- Robin Chase Blog
- TDM Talk: Debats on Transportation
- Zip Car