Vanpool Formation in MD & VA - Formulation: Part 1 - by Holly Morello (Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission) & Dotty Dalphon (TransIT Services of Frederick County)

Riders Co-workers, neighbors, transportation coordinators,

HR department Vans

VPSI, Enterprise, Local Providers Insurance

Advantage, Lancer Regional Incentive Programs

Van Start, Van Save, Vanpool Incentive Program

Register with local ridesharing agencyAssist with vanpool promotion and help to

keep vans full

Facilitate the formation of new vanpools and maintains the existing fleet.

Van Start – Start up financial assistance for qualifying new vanpools in the region funded through CMAQ.

Van Save – Provides financial assistance for vanpools in danger of ceasing operation.

Van must be registered with PRTC’s Rideshare Program The van must have PV plates and a county sticker Vanpool must be in the first three months of operation 50% occupancy of van must be demonstrated by providing PRTC

with a list of riders including contact information Van pool owner must demonstrate active recruitment for new

passengers PRTC supplies Matchlists to help with recruitment efforts Payment is dependent on the size of the van, and decreases by one

seat every month, not to exceed 4 months

Maximum Seat Assistance Per Month

15 – Month One (4), Month Two (3), Month Three (2), Month Four (1) 12- Month One (3), Month Two (2), Month Three (1) Month Four (0) 9 – Month One (2), Month Two (2), Month Three (1), Month Four (0) 7 – Month One (2), Month Two (1), Month Three (1), Month Four

(0)

The van must be registered with the PRTC rideshare database for a minimum of thirty days

The van must have PV plates and a county sticker The van must have been operating for a minimum

of six months and many not have received any state assistance funds for twelve months

The van must have lost at least 25% of its paid passengers for more than thirty days

Van pool owner must demonstrate active recruitment for new passengers

The subsidy is available only once every twelve months

Payment is dependent on the size of the van, and decreases by one seat every month, not to exceed 4 months

TransIT Services’ Vanpool Incentive Program (VIP) is designed to encourage new vanpool formations originating or terminating in Frederick County, MD, by temporarily funding a limited number of unoccupied seats during the start-up phase. As the vanpool reaches peak ridership, subsidy is reduced.

Eligible vanpools receive financial assistance during the first 12 months of operation up to the following monthly amounts:

  Passengers Months 1 – 6 Months 7 - 12 15 $500 $300

8 $300 $175

The per-seat subsidy is determined by dividing eligible expenses (lease + gas) by available seats (minus the driver).

Example: 15-passenger van with expenses of $1,372 would receive a subsidy of $98 for each unused seat. $1,372 divided by 14= $98 for each unused seat. If the van has 5 empty seats, subsidy received = $490/month.

Commuters meeting the following criteria may participate:

Proof of vehicle purchase or leasing agreement contract with a van rental company;

  Vehicle registration information through the

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration;   Verification that fewer than 50% of vanpool

participants (including driver) have been members of a vanpool receiving financial subsidies during the past 12 months;

  Verification that the registering vanpool was non-

existent prior to applying for VIP assistance;

Verification of good driving records for the principle driver and any and all alternate drivers;

  Non-leasing operators must provide proof of

insurance, including coverage for bodily injury and property damage, uninsured motorists, collision, and comprehensive;

  Non-leasing operators must provide proof of

vehicle safety inspection;   Vanpool must be operated on a not-for-profit

basis;   Owner/operator must demonstrate continuous

aggressive new passenger recruitment efforts.

TransIT Services assists with filling empty seats by maintaining a list of vanpools with

openings on website promoting openings in quarterly

commuter newsletter communicating with local employers promoting Rideshare Assistance - 301-

600-RIDE

Vanpooling Made Easy - http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/studies/files/VanpoolingMadeEasyFINAL.pdf

PRTC – http://www.prtctransit.org/ VIP – www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/transit GWRideConnect - http://www.gwrideconnect.org/ Commuter Connections -

http://www.mwcog.org/commuter2/commuter/ridesharing/index.html

The Ridesharing Vanpool by Milton Laughland, Jr - http://laughland.blogs.com/laughland_family/VanPool02.html