Archive for the ‘Vanpool’ Category

RideshareOnline.com recently launched the 2010 summer ridesharing promotion. This year RideshareOnline.com is challenging commuters to be brilliant! when it comes to traveling to and from work. Carpool or vanpool at least 2 days per week between August 9th and September 19th and add those trips to the tracking calendar in RideshareOnline.com for a minimum of one week during the promotion period (8/9/2010 – 9/19/2010). Qualifying participants are  eligible to win a luxury trip (three days, two nights and a $50 gas card for travel expenses at one of 5 premier hotels in Washington, Victoria, BC or Idaho) or an Apple iPad! And as a bonus each week, new or returning RideshareOnline.com registrants will be eligible to win a $50 MasterCard gift card.

This is a no brainer! You’ll save money, reduce wear and tear on your car and spend less on gas during the promotion. You may even decide continue your new commute since sharing the ride is good for you and the environment!

Eligibility Details:
To be qualify for the prize drawings, participants must carpool or vanpool to work at least two days for a minimum of one week during the promotion period, and add their trips to the tracking calendar in RideshareOnline.com. 

Prize Details:

• The RideshareOnline.com grand prize winner will receive an Apple iPad!
• Five people will win three days, two nights, dining credits for two and a $50 gas card for travel expenses at one of the following luxury hotels.
  Grand Pacific Hotel, Victoria, BC. Includes high tea, and round trip transportation from Seattle.
  Coeur d’Alene Resort, Idaho. Includes a lake view room and $150 dining credit.
  Hotel Pan Pacific, Seattle. Includes $75 dining credit at Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar.
  Hotel Davenport, Spokane. Includes $50 dining credit and $100 spa credit.
  Hotel Murano, Tacoma. Includes tickets to the Museum of Glass and breakfast for two.
• PLUS – Each week, one lucky person will WIN $50 just for registering at RideshareOnline.com or running a ridematch during the promotion.

What are you waiting for? Register today and WIN! Visit www.RideshareOnline.com, or call 888-814-1300 to get started in a carpool or vanpool.

In a pilot program this fall, 250 drivers with GPS-enabled smartphones will offer empty seats in their vehicles to 750 riders along the SR 520 corridor, in real time and with no prearrangement. The program, made possible by a $400,000 contract from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT),will test the viability and feasibility of flexible carpooling along the congested east-west link.

Flexible carpooling – also called slugging, casual carpooling, and instant carpooling – is a new option for commuters to get to and from where they need to go by sharing the ride with no prearrangement. This type of carpooling is popular and effective on certain corridors in the Bay Area and DC.

Each ride match will be automatically verified using Avego Corporations’s Shared Transportation system, a smartphone app that combines real-time ridematching with fully automated security features, real-time passenger information, and electronic micro-payments between rider and driver based on vehicle miles traveled.  The system creates an incentive for drivers to conduct at least 20 ride matches per month, resulting in 30,000 fewer trips over the 6-month duration of the pilot.

Avego will partner on the program with Nelson\Nygaard and the University of Washington, who will handle marketing and outreach, and pilot program evaluation, respectively.

For more information, including safety features and project goals, check out what WSDOT and Avego have to say about the pilot. You can also check out Avego in action by watching this video:

Do you think real-time ridesharing will be the answer to the community’s congestion? Is this a service you would use? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

In the spring of 2011, all-electronic tolling will begin on the SR 520 Bridge to help pay for the construction of a new, safer bridge.  Good To Go! electronic tolling uses technology to keep traffic moving with no toll booths, no stopping, and no slowing down.

Customers can set up prepaid accounts linked to a Good To Go! Pass that is installed in your vehicle or linked to your license plate.  Automatic replenishment allows you to never have to worry about running low in your account.  Simply link a bank account or credit card to the account and your Good To Go! account is automatically replenished when you run low. 

As you drive under electronic sensors on the east high rise of the 520 bridge, the toll will be automatically deducted from your prepaid account.  If the driver does not have a prepaid account, a photo will be taken of the vehicle’s license plate, and a bill will be sent in the mail to the vehicle’s registered owner.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has launched an extensive outreach campaign to educate drivers about electronic tolling on the SR 520 Bridge.  To reach as many bridge users as possible, WSDOT is on the radio, in newspapers, online and out in the community.  WSDOT is also meeting with community and business groups throughout the region to answer questions about the SR 520 Bridge electronic tolling program. 

The message is simple:  You can get ready for all-electronic tolling on the SR 520 Bridge by joining the interest list at www.goodtogo520.org, and be among the first to sign up for a Good to Go! Pass in January 2011.  Subscribers will also receive regular updates about rates, account options, special offers and customer service resources.

As the bridge tolling approaches, now is a great time to reconsider your commute options. Although exact toll fares have not yet been set, getting across the bridge other than driving alone (i.e. bus, carpool or vanpool) will drastically cut your overall tolling costs.

Have more questions? Contact WSDOT!

• Leave a message at: 1-888-G2G-WSDOT (1-888-424-9736).  A customer service representative will return your call as soon as possible.
• Email: goodtogotolling@wsdot.wa.gov
• Website: www.goodtogo520.org

Calling all vanpoolers! I want to know about you! Why do you vanpool? How long have you been vanpooling? How much money do you save by vanpooling? Are you more stressed? Less stressed? Do you have any ideas on how to get more people vanpooling? Do you have any interesting stories about your vanpool? For example, did you get married to someone in your vanpool?

Let me start us off: I have been vanpooling for a year and a half. Before the vanpool, I rode the bus to work. However I would have to drive 20 minutes to get to the park and ride. From there, it was a 15 minute bus ride. It really wasn’t that bad of a commute.

When one of my co-workers switched her hours to match my schedule, we decided to try to start our own vanpool. After a few months of recruitment, we had enough riders to begin. My entire vanpool fare ($101/month) is actually free because the company I work for provides employees with an ORCA Passport card, covering 100% of my vanpool fare. It’s great how much money I save. Now I drive 3 minutes to the van pick-up. I put gas in my car once per month, compared to once a week, when I was taking the bus. I also get to drive to work with some wonderful women. So what’s your vanpool story? Tell me about it by commenting below!

-Melissa

Have you logged into your RideshareOnline.com account lately? The next time you visit the RideshareOnline.com website, you will see a fresh new look and expanded services to help you with your commute and your personal trips. You can still find ridematches to form a carpool or vanpool, but new features allow for much more, including:

• A trip calendar to help you earn rewards and track your fuel and greenhouse gas reductions.

• Matching options to find a “Bike Buddy”.

• Expanded ridematching options to include one-time trips, personal trips, and special events.

• Bus options included with your match list (where Google Trip Planning is available).

Employers can also log in to manage their employee transportation programs, promote the benefits of their program to employees, and track and report the reduction in vehicle miles traveled and fuel and greenhouse gas reductions.

What do you think about the new RideshareOnline.com? Is there a new tool that you find most useful? Tell Choose Your Way Bellevue your reaction by posting a comment below!

-Jordan

Metro VanPool 101:

1) How to get started? To start a vanpool you need at least 5 people. The best place to find riders is www.RideshareOnline.com, but you can also ask coworkers or friends. Often grocery stores or neighborhood coffee shops have boards where you can post fliers.

2) How do you pay? You pay a flat monthly fee based on the # of miles the van is driven. This fee covers gas, maintenance, and insurance. The fee can be split evenly by the number of riders in the van or some vans offer to pay for the primary driver to ride free. For example, my van drives 45 miles round trip, costing $710 a month. My van has 7 individuals, so we each pay $101 a month.

3) Who determines where the van leaves? Riders in the van do not have to all live in the same city or work in the same building. The van has the flexibility to decide pick up and drop off locations. Typically park and rides are used, but groups can decide to pick up riders at their home driveways. You can also pick up riders along your route. The group has full control!

4) Who drives the van? Every van is required to have one primary and at least one backup driver. To become a driver you must complete an online training course.

5) If an emergency happens and I need to leave early, am I responsible for getting myself home? If you or a family member becomes ill, if you have to work unexpected overtime, or another emergency happens on a day you drove in the van, Metro will pay for your taxi ride. Know you don’t have to worry about being stranded or paying out of pocket for taxi fare.

-Melissa

You’ve probably seen Metro Vanpools in your town or in Bellevue, but do you know what they are? Years back a lady in my neighborhood parked a Metro Vanpool at her house. I assumed she was a Metro employee and drove the van around. Now I know better. In fact, I even drive a Metro Vanpool! Anyone can start a vanpool. You need at least 5 people to start. It works best if you all live and work in a common place. The group is free to designate pick up and drop off points as well as start and leave times.

I have been driving my van for a year and 3 months. In all honesty, the van was rather challenging to start because I couldn’t find enough riders. It took me 3 months to get the van on the road. .Eventually I was able to find all of the riders for my van at www.rideshareonline.com. My advice: don’t give up when starting your vanpool. Eventually you will find enough riders!

Here is a question for you: What is stopping you from being in a vanpool? Do you not have enough information on how it works? Are you scared of the commitment? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

In my next post I’ll try to address some of your concerns.

-Melissa

Climate change. Everyone’s talking about it. But what are we doing about? An article from The Christian Science Monitor about this topic recently caught our eye. It states that “discussion of climate change has been high on domestic and international agendas, but the sad truth is that little has been done to fight it”. So how do we kick our butts in gear to reduce our country’s carbon footprint? Is a recession the only proven condition to get people off the road, subsequently cutting emissions? According to the article’s author, Robert Dujarric, the climate debate must be refocused. The environmental arguments empower some to make change, but not the masses. Instead, Dujarric says to appeal to patriotism. What? American patriotism = lower carbon emissions? Here’s his argument:

Given the location of the world’s petroleum reserves, when Americans pull out their credit cards at the gas pump, they indirectly fund the economies of countries like Iran, Venezuela, Libya, Sudan, and not to mention Al Qaeda (whose financial backers include many who are in the fossil fuels business). Even if the oil sold in the US comes from Alaska, Texas or allies like Norway, American demand drives up the price of the commodity, thereby pumping huge flows of dollars into the treasuries of its enemies. If Americans start thinking about their dependence on oil as equivalent to providing assistance to our enemies, more citizens would be open to looking for and practicing alternatives.

Dujarric doesn’t believe we should throw out the environmental arguments altogether. He instead believes supporting them with a new patriotic message might do the trick to cutting down our oil consumption. What motivates and inspires you to decrease your carbon footprint? Is it saving endangered species and improving air quality or is it protecting US borders? Let us know your thoughts about the climate change debate by submitting a comment below. Also, be sure to calculate your own carbon footprint on our carbon emissions calculator. You may be surprised at what you find!

-Jordan

Fall Wheel Options is back! Join thousands of others across the state who choose not to drive alone to work at least twice during Wheel Options, October 18-31. Log your commutes at www.WheelOptions.org and you could win the trip to Italy with a Rick Steves Best of Rome 7 Day Tour! Eligible wheel options include carpooling and vanpooling, riding the bus or train, bicycling or walking to work, working from home or simply not commuting because of your compressed work week schedule. There are many fantastic prizes, including weekend getaways and your favorite merchant gift cards. All participants will receive a two-for-one coupon courtesy of Amtrak Cascades. What have you got to lose?

-Melissa