VANPOOLING AND ITS BENEFITS (or everything you wanted to know about vanpooling but were afraid to ask) Session 5C – International Innovations and the Canadian.

VANPOOLING AND ITS BENEFITS(or everything you wanted to know about

vanpooling but were afraid to ask)

Session 5C – International Innovations and the Canadian Context

November 17, 2009

What is a Vanpool?

A vanpool is a group of 7 to 15 people who commute together on a regular basis in a roomy, comfortable van. One person volunteers to be the driver of the vanpool and normally rides for free. The riders share the cost of operation.

TDM program element in the US since the late ’70s.

VPSI Corporate Overview

• Established in 1977 as a subsidiary of the Chrysler Corporation

• Today, VPSI is privately-owned and the largest commuter vanpool provider in the world

• Recognized as a leader in the transportation demand management (TDM) industry

• Known for innovative, pragmatic, and customer-focused services

VPSI Corporate Overview

VPSI is comprised of the following companies:• VPSI, Inc. (United States)• VPSI TDM Services of Canada, Inc. (Inactive)• Vipre BV (The Netherlands)

Public/ Private Partnerships

• Working with transit agencies across the country, the foundation for what is commonly referred to as “third-party” vanpooling was developed.

Major Public Sector Vanpool Partners• Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission• Regional Public Transportation Authority (Valley Metro)• Hawaii Department of Transportation• Anchorage Municipality• Michigan Department of Transportation• Fort Worth Transportation Authority• Houston Metro Transit Authority• Space Coast Area Transit (Florida)• Metropolitan Council (Minnesota)• San Diego Association of Governments• Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority• Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority• Greater Richmond Transit Company• Orange County Transit Authority

VPSI’s public sector partners consist of transit

providers, state DOTs, Municipalities, COGs,

MPOs, TMAs, and rideshare agencies.

VPSI operates over 35 public sector vanpool contracts in the U.S.

Third-Party Vanpooling

• Vehicle (Depreciation and Interest)

• Insurance

• Maintenance and Repairs

• Vehicle Licensing and Registration

• Group Formation and Driver Screening

• Ongoing Passenger Recruitment

VPSI’s Commuter Vanpool Program

• VPSI is a “third-party” vanpool provider that offers 30 day pay-as-you-go user agreements.

• The program includes a comprehensive insurance and maintenance package, with 24-hour roadside assistance.

• A myriad of additional functions are performed to ensure a successful vanpool program.

Insurance

• Collision and Automobile Liability Coverage

• No deductibles• Personal and commute

coverage covered• Employers named as

additional insured on VPSI’s policy

• Claims and Risk Management

Maintenance and Repairs• All maintenance and repairs

provided by VPSI through National Accounts

• Preventive Maintenance Coupon Books

• Maintenance Management Reporting – On Line Access

• Backup Vans

Connect Card Program

• Debit card• Use for gasoline, van washes and tolls• Paid one month in advance• Accepted everywhere credit cards are accepted• Credits rolls forward to invoice, not to the card

Driver Selection and Training

• Most important element of safety program

• Strict approval process

• Motor Vehicle Record checks by VPSI

• Driver safety training by VPSI Risk Management staff

• Award Winning VPSI Safety Video – “The Vanpool Difference”

Why do commuters like vanpooling?

• No long term commitment to use service

• Sustainable transportation solution when traditional fixed-route transit is not conveniently available

• Cost effective

• Time efficient

• Safe

• Camaraderie

Employer Services• Identify market potential by

performing home to work travel analysis

• Promote the vanpool program to employees not served by transit

• Conduct group formation meetings

• Qualify vanpool drivers

• On-going management of vanpool groups

Marketing Campaigns

• Nearly 2,000 Employers

• Fortune 500 Top Twenty including: Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Wyeth, IBM, Nike, Advanced Micro Devices and Yahoo.

• About 80 Colleges and Universities

• Benefiting 3.6 million commuters

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Why do employers like vanpooling?

• No capital risk

• Reduced insurance risk

• Excellent employee recruitment and retention tool

• Excellent parking mitigation tool

• Burnishes corporate image

• Sustainable business practice

Why is vanpooling growing?

• Commuter Choice

• Rising fuel prices

• Employee recruitment and retention challenges

• Parking mitigation

• Environmental benefits

Commuter Choice Overview

• Commuter Choice is a tax benefit for employers and their employees who use vanpools or public transit to commute to work

• The benefit was established in its current form by the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21)

• Its provisions are included in Section 132 of the U.S. Federal Tax Code

Vanpooling’s Environmental Impact

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Measuring Emission Reduction

Understand your organization’s broader environmental goals Gain senior management support Align data reporting with existing formats for consistency Collaborate with PR/Marketing to promote results internally and externally

Canadian Practitioners

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The Jack Bell Foundation is a Charitable BC Society operating as Jack Bell Ride-Share | 700 W 57th Ave. Vancouver BC- support and funding from Translink and BC Transit

www.ride-share.com

The Jack Bell Foundation was founded in 1987. Jack Bell expandedThe role of the Foundation by pioneering the first large-scale Organized ridesharing program in Canada which currently operates over 100 vehicles in its fleet.

Canadian Studies About Vanpooling

• Patriarche & Associates, August, 2000; VANPOOLS IN NORTH AMERICA: ON THE ROAD OR ON THE ROPES?

• Smart Commute Association’s Ontario Vanpool Program Feasibility Study

• Vanpool Program Feasibility Study

• Final Report Submitted in March, 2007

• Prepared by iTrans Consulting Inc.

Legislative Impediments

• The Ontario Public Vehicles Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. P-45) defines a “car pool vehicle” to mean “a motor vehicle as defined in the Highways Traffic Act, (a) with a seating capacity of not more than twelve persons, (b) while it is operated transporting no more than twelve commuters including the driver, none of whom pay for the transportation more frequently than on a weekly basis, (c) that is not used by any one driver to transport commuters more than one round trip per day, and (d) the owner…does not own or lease another car pool vehicle unless the owner or lessee is the employer of a majority of the commuters transported in the vehicles.”

Public Vehicles Act

• (a) seating capacity of up to 15 in the US allows costs to be shared amongst a larger group

• (b) not a taxi cab charging fares per trip

• (c) not a shuttle operation with multiple round trips

• (d) essentially limited to one employer

Public Vehicles Act cont.

• While elements of this definition are comparable to vanpooling’s definition in the US, a noteworthy exception exists: US vanpools may be composed of employees, public and private sector, working for a variety of different employers.

Public Vehicles Act cont.

• Exempts small “car pool vehicles” from being regulated as “public vehicles” and states that small car pool vehicles (w/ a capacity of fewer than ten passengers) driver’s do not need a special driver’s license.

• US allows vanpool drivers to operate vehicles with a seating capacity of up to 15 without a special (i.e. commercial) operator’s license.

GO Transit Act, 2001

• Empowers the Greater Toronto Transit Authority to operate “or cause to be operated a regional transit system.”

• Would vanpool “driver/coordinators” be subject to any regulatory constraints under the Public Vehicles Act?

• Would commuters respect political boundaries?