Van Pools Blog

Jeff Henning, President of VPSI, offered the following statement regarding introduction of ‘Green Routes to Work’ legislation by Congressman Earl Blumenauer:

‘I want to thank Congressman Blumenauer and offer my full support for ‘Green Routes to Work’; this legislation will help get people out of their cars and into alternative forms of transportation. I am very pleased to see that this legislation includes a provision that would reinstate the vanpool investment tax.

Under the Federal Energy Tax Act of 1978, a 10 percent investment tax credit was approved for employers who established vanpools. From 1975 to 1985, over 24,000 commuter vanpools were placed into service. Large employers, e.g. 3M, Conoco, Texaco, Pennzoil, Arco, Hartford Insurance, Schering Plough, Boeing, Aramco, Arizona Public Service, TVA, Chrysler, Cargill, Northrop, Shell, Ford, and McDonnell Douglas, acquired fleets of vans to transport their employees to and from work.

The vanpool investment tax credit expired in 1986 and was not extended. Since its expiration, the number of vanpools nationwide has decreased to half the size of its peak, however, recent spikes in gas prices have caused a rapid growth in demand for vanpool services illustrating that American workers are willing to use alternative forms of transportation if the pricing threshold is right. Read More