Van Pools Blog
Vanpooling from Hawaii to Texas
April 19th, 2011 0 Comments
Left to right: VPSI’s Alice Lee-Cook, Primary Driver Kevin Pelayo and Alternate Driver Cristine Fredericks.
Kevin Pelayo started vanpooling in Hawaii and decided he couldn’t live without it when he moved to Texas.
So on February 18th, he took delivery of his new vanpool at Fort Hood, Texas. This is also the first vanpool group at the Post. Pelayo explains, “It is such a great program that I was so surprised when I arrived at Fort Hood late last year, that no one was doing it here. We were all vanpooling in Hawaii, so I decided to round up enough interested riders and VPSI was quick to help us started up.”
Pelayo continues, “The monthly Federal Transit Benefit allowance of up to $230 pays for our commute to work so why not? It saves us lots of money, reduces wear and tear on our personal cars, reduces stress and builds camaraderie within the group. This vanpool will reduce the number of vehicles entering into the Post. You should see the long line of vehicles coming into Fort Hood every day. Most of our vanpool riders are active duty members but it is open to anyone – Civilians or Contractors who are interested. I’ve signed up as the program point-of-contact and am eager to help more employees in the vanpool program here at Fort Hood!”
A Texas Morning
August 20th, 2010 0 Comments
Sunrise over Texas
The above photo was submitted to our Photos Taken From the Road contest. Unfortunately, we couldn’t award everyone an iPad for their photos, but we can feature honorable mentions like the one above, submitted by Marsha in Clear Lake, Texas. Her vanpool meets at 6:40 a.m. and occasionally get what she calls a “breathtaking true Texas Sunrise.”
For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be featuring some of the top photos submitted to the contest, so be on the lookout for more of our favorite photos from commuters around the country.
5 More Things You Didn’t Know About America’s Roads
February 10th, 2010 0 Comments
Last week we put up a post titled 5 Things You Didn’t Know About America’s Roads, and this week we’re back with 5 more things. Do you know of any other random or obscure facts about America’s roads?
1. Texas has the most Interstate miles, with 3,233.45 of them among 17 routes.
2. There is a rhyme and reason to Interstate and national highway numbers: East-west routes have even numbers and north-south routes have odd numbers. The Interstates were numbered higher for the northern routes and get smaller on southern routes; and north-south routes have larger numbers in the east and grow smaller in the west – such as I-95 on the east coast and I-5 on the west coast.
3. Concrete road surfaces generally last longer that asphalt, but they typically generate more road noise. Because asphalt is produced with petroleum, more road builders are finding ways to make concrete surfaces quieter so that they can use it more. Read More
Van vs. Wild
January 14th, 2010 0 Comments
The following post was written by Rosendo Corral from El Paso, Texas. It was originally submitted to our iPhone contest, but it was so enjoyable that we had to share it with our readers.
I have been participating in the military Mass Transportation Benefit Program for some time now, and have seen accidents, breakdowns, among other interesting things.
One of the more common experiences riding to work in the mornings are the encounters with oryx (an African antelope introduced to New Mexico many years back). It’s a truly wonderful looking animal, yet aggressive and strong. Some of the oryx out here grow to be the size of a horse. Read More
Watermelons, Watermelons, Everywhere
October 22nd, 2009 0 Comments
The following post was written by vanpooler Wanda Eaton from Kingwood, Texas. It was originally submitted to our iPhone contest, but it was so enjoyable that we had to share it with our readers.
I have vanpooled to work in Houston for years. As such, no matter which department or office I am assigned to, I have developed an extensive network of friends. Within that network of friends, we share vanpool experiences and stories that bond us together no matter how long it has been since we shared a ride to work.
One of my favorite experiences was when the van was delayed in a traffic jam near the 610 loop. As we got closer we found that an 18-wheeler had overturned on the upper overpass and his load of watermelons was strewn all over the freeway. The traffic jam resulted from people stopping their cars, getting out and picking up the watermelons to take home. It literally was a free-for-all! None of us, however, were brave (or stupid) enough to take on the traffic jam and score a watermelon. Instead, we took away a great story that softened the 30 minute delay in getting home.
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