Offices encourage their staff to recycle paper and other office supplies and, when possible, rely on electronic documents instead of making unnecessary prints and copies. Factories employ new technologies to improve efficiencies and reduce smoke-stack emissions, electrical usage and other industrial wastes. And manufacturers constantly work to make engines and appliances more energy efficient, while using materials that are biodegradable or recyclable.
Several companies have tried encouraging their staff to find better, more fuel-efficient ways to commute to and from the office. The use of public transportation, shared ride arrangements and other alternative modes of transportation can go a long way towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions, gasoline consumption and even traffic and parking congestion.
One form of employee transportation that has grown quickly over the last three decades is vanpooling, where groups of 7 to 15 people commute together on a regular basis in a full-size van or minivan. One person volunteers to be the driver/coordinator of the vanpool and often rides free. The riders share the cost of operating the vanpool and the vanpool group determines their daily schedule and route including one or more designated pick-up locations, such as Park ‘n Ride lots or shopping centers.
Vanpooling helps workers with long distance commutes or those dealing with heavy traffic to get to and from work in a simpler, more relaxing way. Vanpoolers share the cost of gasoline, so instead of paying $3 per gallon, a van with 15 passengers can split the cost and only have to pay 20 cents per gallon per person. Where available, they can utilize High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, which helps bypass heavy traffic and reduce their commute times. In addition, several local, state and Federal subsidies are available helping to reduce qualifying passengers’ monthly vanpool rates.
But now, many employers are finding that a vanpooling program can also have a positive environmental impact. Because each vanpool takes as many as 14 cars off of the road, they significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Vanpooling not only reduces congestion on the roads, it also reduces pollutants that contribute to greenhouse gases and ozone.
Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, VPSI, Inc. is the nation’s largest vanpool services provider. Established in 1977, the company currently operates a fleet of nearly 5,500 vehicles throughout the United States. Of those, over 5,000 are used for commuter vanpools.
Throughout the years, VPSI has gathered extensive statistics showing the environmental impact of their vanpool fleet. Each day, over 51,000 people use the service, which eliminates over 80,000 commuting trips to and from the office. In August of 2008 alone, the company’s vanpool program saved its riders from driving over 70 million miles and reduced their fuel consumption by over 2.8 million gallons. On a larger scale, between January 1 and August 31 of this year, the service has saved over 22.9 million gallons of fuel and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by over 230,000 tons.
Visit VPSI’s website at www.vpsiinc.com or call 1-800 VAN-RIDE for more information.