Western New Yorkers who don’t own cars now have another affordable transportation option: “vanpooling.”
GO Buffalo Niagara, an organization that promotes sustainable transportation in Western New York, will soon be subsidizing five vans on a month-by-month basis for groups of four or more employees who start or end their commute in Erie or Niagara counties.
The organization is currently reaching out to potentially interested employers and community members and hopes to have vanpools on the road by the end of August.
The vanpools are meant to supplement Western New York’s public transit systems and give individuals without the means or desire for their own car a reliable way to get to work, according to Christine Krolewicz, GO Buffalo Niagara’s program manager.
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“It’s almost like a trap in our culture where you work so that you can have a car, but then you’re working in order to pay for a car,” Krolewicz said. “Because our city and our region are built so car-centrically, we don’t have transit that is comprehensive enough, it’s not completely safe for biking, and it’s so spread out. A lot of people might live in the city but only be able to get a job in a suburb, and there’s not transit that is reliable to go there.”
GO Buffalo Niagara will use federal funds it was awarded last year to finance up to $600 per month toward each van, with vanpool participants splitting what remains of the bill. Employers may also choose to subsidize their employees’ vanpools to retain employees and potentially earn tax benefits.
The vans will be leased from Enterprise, which will also provide car insurance and maintenance.
GO Buffalo Niagara can also help employers and commuters find vanpool participants and work out logistical issues, Krolewicz says.
“We’ll look at the data of where everyone’s living and be able to come up with a route that would make sense for five to 10 people to get to work together, especially if they have the same shift time,” Krolewicz said.
In addition, all vanpool participants will be automatically enrolled in the Guaranteed Ride Home program, which covers provides a free Uber, Lyft or public transportation ride to sustainable commuters who need to leave unexpectedly for an emergency or can’t use their regular mode of transportation. The program covers up to two rides per month with an expense limit of $200 per year.
“Just in general, I think that program is really underutilized,” Krolewicz said.
GO Buffalo Niagara will be providing vans to individuals, groups and employers on a first come, first serve basis.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.