Van Pools Blog

Pittsburgh, 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.