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.
Environmental Impact at a Glance: November 2011
December 2nd, 2011 0 CommentsDuring November 2011, 5,766 VPSI vanpools logged more than $10 million in fuel savings and freed up 39,004 parking spaces. Here are the month’s environmental-impact statistics:
VPSI Vice President Joins Advisory Board of National Center for Transit Research
November 30th, 2011 0 Comments
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.
In 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.
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.
Environmental Impact at a Glance: October 2011
November 1st, 2011 0 CommentsDuring October 2011, 5,770 VPSI vanpools logged more than $10 million in fuel savings and freed up 38,910 parking spaces. Here are the month’s environmental-impact statistics:
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