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Van Pool Q & A

 Car Pool Q & A

VANPOOL/CARPOOL

GUARANTEED RIDE HOME
A benefit offered to select transit participants who may worry about being "stranded".

EMPLOYERS COMMUTER BENEFITS PROGRAM
Transit benefits for your employees can be low cost and tax deductible for you or paid with pre-tax dollars for your employees.

TRANSICHECK
Employers can subsidize transit benefits with discounted fare offers through The T and participate in the tax free benefit.
Vanpools may qualify for Commuter Benefits programs such as the Commuter Benefits and Transicheck programs that can be offered by employers.

What is a vanpool? 

 A vanpool is a group of at least seven people who share the costs of getting to and from work. These individuals usually live and work near each other. Generally, vanpools will have one primary driver and one alternate driver.
What are the benefits of vanpooling?

Lower transportation costs, less wear and tear on riders’ vehicles and less stress during commutes. In addition, vanpooling helps reduce traffic congestion and dangerous levels of ozone.

Vanpooling may also make riders eligible for savings on automobile insurance — in some cases, up to 15%. (Riders should contact their insurance agents for more information.) If necessary, the T will provide written verification of your vanpool participation.
How much does vanpooling cost?

Monthly fares will vary, depending on the origination point of the van and the daily miles involved. Riders pay only for the portion of the trip they use. For instance, if a vanpool picks up riders in different counties, it’s possible that some riders may pay a few dollars more or less than others.

In addition to the base fare, riders may pay part of the monthly parking expense and a cleaning fee for the van. To encourage vanpooling, rider fares are currently subsidized through a Federal Clean Air grant.
When do riders pay their fare? Fares are due in full by the first working day of each month.
What if the number of vanpool members falls below the minimum required?

A Low Ridership fee ($5/month) may be charged if your group’s ridership falls below these minimum requirements:

09 passenger van: 7 riders
12 passenger van: 10 riders
15 passenger van: 12 riders

Riders can help keep monthly fares low by recruiting friends and co-workers to ride their van.
What if a rider has an emergency or is unable to take the van home at the specified time?

For full-time vanpoolers, the T provides a Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program. This is a low-cost solution to getting home when you have an emergency or unplanned overtime.

GRH may be used a maximum of two times in a three-month period. Riders are issued a GRH card. The three-month period begins with the first use of the card.
What about overtime?

Monthly fares assume an average of 21 workdays per month. However, the T realizes that, on some occasions, riders will need to work more than 21 days a month. For this reason, the T offers an overtime policy.

If at least half the vanpool group works overtime, we recommend that riders take the van. The cost per passenger would be the daily rate (the fare divided by 21). If less than half the group works overtime, we recommend that carpooling be used. In this way, we can stretch limited funding and prevent our vanpool drivers from being billed for excess fuel and mileage expenses.
What if a rider decides to leave the vanpool If a rider is leaving the group, he or she should notify the driver as soon as possible. This way, a new rider can be located.
How does a rider get started? Simply contact the T at 817-336-RIDE for a list of vanpools in your area.
VANPOOLING VS. DRIVING ALONE
Daily Roundtrip Miles
Monthly Vanpool Rate
Daily Cost of Vanpooling
Daily Cost of Driving Alone
Annual Cost of Vanpooling
Annual Cost of Driving Alone
Annual Savings for Vanpooling
0-45
$71
$3.38
 $31.05 $852 $7,824 $6,972
46-55 $78
$3.71
 $37.95 $936 $9,563 $8,627
56-70 $95
$4.52
 $48.30 $1,140 $12,117 $10,977
71-75 $109
$5.19
 $51.75 $1,308 $13,041 $11,733
76-80 $118
$5.62
 $55.20 $1,416 $13,910 $12,494
81-90 $126
$6.00
 $62.10 $1,512 $15,649 $14,137
91-120 $136
$6.48
 $82.80 $1,632 $20,865 $19,233
121-140 $145 $6.90 $96.60 $1,740 $24,343 $22,603
141-165 $154 $7.33 $113.85 $1,848 $28,690 $26,842
166-190 $176 $8.38 $131.10 $2,112 $33,037 $30,925
Effective February, 2008
Estimates based on commuting 21 days per month
Driving alone cost based on AAA and EPA statistics

WHAT IS CARPOOLING? Two or more people sharing a ride in a car constitutes a carpool. Carpooling is simple, tends to be informal, and can last as long as the participants desire.

HOW DOES CARPOOLING WORK? Carpools are based on sharing commute expenses. There are two basic types of carpool arrangements:
1) Poolers use one car owned by one driver. The driver calculates his/her operating costs for the daily commute, then divides by the number of riders to determine how much each rider should contribute. The riders and driver agree to a periodic (daily, weekly, monthly) payment plan.
2) Poolers can rotate car use and driving, so that each person’s vehicle and time are shared equally. No money is exchanged in this arrangement.

HOW DO PEOPLE START CARPOOLS? Many carpools begin quite informally between neighbors or coworkers. Other carpools are initiated with the help of employers and the T, who can match commuters based on work hours and geographic location. This carpool matching assistance through the T is absolutely FREE.

Once commuters find someone whose schedules and locations are compatible, the next step is to meet the potential carpooler to discuss arrangements. Suggestion: set a trial period of a week or so. Each individual carpooler can leave the pool during the trial period if they so desire. Once the carpool is set, courtesy dictates that participants who decide to leave give advance notice to their carpooling partners to minimize inconvenience.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CAR/VANPOOLING?
• reduces commuting costs • helps conserve fuel • reduces traffic congestion • reduces wear and tear on personal vehicles • helps to improve air quality • alleviates commuting stress
For more information or assistance in forming a car/vanpool,
call 817-336-RIDE (7433).

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