MOUNT VERNON — A state program is providing relief from rising gas prices to a number of local residents who work in Columbus. And it could help other area residents who face a long commute.
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- Children's Carpooling http://www.dividetheride.com/
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- RideSolutions http://ridesolutions.morpc.org/
Patty Olmsted is the developer of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s RideSolutions Vanpool Program, which provides information about carpooling, vanpooling in an 11-county service area that includes Knox County. She said there are two vanpools coming from Mount Vernon to Columbus each day.
“These vanpools eliminate 28 cars off of our crowded roadways each day,” Olmsted said. “They are reducing 70,000 miles driven on the roadways each month.”
She said that, based on the average automobile getting 24 miles to the gallon, this reduces 2,905 gallons of fuel per month. Olmsted added that these and other vanpools reduce carbon dioxide emission by 2.16 tons each month, which is a great benefit to the environment.
“This is a great start to reducing our dependency on fuel,” she said. “If even 50 percent of our daily commuters would make this type of change, the demand for fuel would be significantly reduced, which would help drive down fuel cost.”
Olmsted said RideSolutions was started in 1980 with the objectives of reducing traffic congestion, lowering commuter costs, energy conservation and improved air quality. The program has helped over 30,000 commuters discover the benefits of ridesharing in the central Ohio area. Through the use of a computer-based ride matching system, RideSolutions matches people interested in ridesharing with commuters with similar work hours, home and work locations. She added that although the vanpools go from Mount Vernon to Columbus, it would be possible for Mount Vernon residents who work in other cities outside of the area to form a car or vanpool with local residents with the same work schedules and locations.
The carpool and vanpool parts of the program differ, Olmsted said. With vanpools, vans are provided by the company VPSI Inc., the largest vanpool van provider in the nation. There’s no lease; the program is based on a 30-day, pay-as-you-go group arrangement. The cost depends on the monthly miles driven. The vanpools generally consist of 12 to 15 commuters.
Olmsted, as the program coordinator, organizes the vanpool based on where people live and work. This part of the program includes use of the van, insurance (covering the vehicle, driver and passengers), maintenance and repairs billed to the van provider and 24-hour roadside assistance. She said a volunteer from the group fills the role of primary driver and rides for free. This person collects the monthly fare from passengers.
“RideSolutions will help commuters and employers organize new vanpools, and will help a group fill empty seats on any existing van,” she said. “Many employers choose to help pay for part or all of an employee’s vanpool as an additional employee benefit, with no liability.”
Olmsted said the carpooling side of Rideshare consists solely in matching people interested in ridesharing with other commuters who share similar work hours, home and work locations. The carpoolers provide the vehicles themselves.
“Through our program, commuters [who carpool] are able to share the ride one or more days a week, setting up an arrangement fitting their commute,” she said. “They become friends. They spend an hour a day with each other.”
Olmsted said carpooling is nice for people who do not need to get to their given location five days a week; maybe they have a part-time job or just need to carpool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She said she works closely with municipalities as well as businesses.
“A lot of employers are calling us and asking, ‘how can you help us with retention and finding new talent?’
“More and more people are calling,” she said. “Gas prices have been up so high for so long that people are starting to feel it in more places than the gas tank.”
She said that in arranging vanpools and carpools, the biggest hurdle can be finding a place for them to park, which is part of the reason she works with municipalities, including Mount Vernon.
Commuters interested in the program are encouraged to call (888) 742-RIDE (7433). They can also access a database of other commuters online at ridesolutions.morpc.org.
