How a multimodal approach can help build ridership
Article from Commute with Enterprise, 2024 Champion-level ACT Corporate Partner
Transit agencies across the country are working hard to build ridership and improve operational efficiency, which is challenging as research shows the average round-trip commute to work now extends to 54 miles, a significant increase from 2019. As communities evolve and commuting habits change, public transit passenger levels are still below where they were in 2019, according to SmartCitiesDive.
Needing to stretch services and adapt to reclaim riders, many TDM professionals are finding success by embracing a multimodal approach with more diverse mobility solutions. One solution in particular that is gaining momentum is vanpooling, with transit agencies serving all types of communities seeing results.
In Reno, Nevada, the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) needed to expand public transit to bring commuters to and from work at remote manufacturing jobs, which are often inaccessible by many other modes. By partnering with Commute with Enterprise, RTC was able to efficiently expand vanpool service while unlocking millions annually in federal funding for the local transit system.
In addition to helping RTC expand its reach, the vanpool program contributed to improving operational efficiency, another key agency priority. In 2024, the program provided over 22 million passenger miles of service, while accounting for just a small fraction of the agency’s operating budget. It created a real impact in the community by expanding the reach of transit, filling gaps in service, and removing thousands of single-occupancy vehicles from the road each day.
As transit agencies work to improve operational performance, many cite traffic congestion as having a negative impact on results. This year’s INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard shows that between 2021 and 2023, many major U.S. cities saw increases in both traffic congestion and related costs in lost time and productivity in downtown areas.
Every shared ride can be another step toward decreasing congestion. Across the U.S., Commute with Enterprise vanpool programs take more than 50,000 personal vehicles off the road each workday which eliminates more than 1 billion commuter miles per year*.
Alongside commuter buses and commuter rail services, vanpooling is a critical part of today’s multimodal transit system. TDM professionals needing to build ridership, generate federal funding and reduce traffic congestion can partner with Commute with Enterprise to set up vanpool programs. Learn more by visiting the Commute with Enterprise website.
Mike Mangan is Vice President of Commute with Enterprise for Enterprise Mobility. He is responsible for oversight of the organization’s vanpool operations and other commuting solutions.
Commute with Enterprise is one of the largest and most cost-effective vanpool operations in the United State, eliminating an estimated 1.1 billon passenger miles each year*. This alternative commuting solution offers customizable programs to help overcome transportation challenges whether it is job access, transit reach congestion/pollution/VMT reduction or financial efficacies.
*Estimates based on 2023 Commute with Enterprise reporting. Assuming participants previously drove alone.