VANPOOLING: AFFORDABLE, CONVENIENT AND SUSTAINABLE

The U.S. transportation industry is in the midst of a dramatic paradigm shift, giving commuters more mobility choices than ever – from bus and rail to ride-hailing and bike sharing.

What many may not realize is that some of the benefits of tomorrow’s automotive technology – such as cost and time savings, sustainability, public/private partnerships and access – are available now in a well-established transportation alternative called vanpooling:

Vanpooling provides an alternative mobility solution that lowers transportation costs. For an average commute of 80 miles per day, vanpooling can save individuals up to $8,700 per year by reducing the cost of tolls, gas, vehicle maintenance and depreciation. By sharing a ride, commuters often take turns driving. Without the need to focus on traffic, the average vanpool passenger is getting nearly two hours of each day back to read, relax, work, or do whatever else he or she would like to do when not taking a turn driving.

Vanpooling also helps address parking real estate, traffic congestion and emissions issues by taking more vehicles off the road. As a result, fewer miles are logged by commuters, and millions of pounds of carbon emissions are reduced, helping improve local air quality as well as the environment. On average, each vehicle removed from the road saves 17,095 pounds of carbon emissions annually.

Organizations that offer vanpooling are important partners in the urban mobility, sustainable transportation and public transit arenas. Many of these programs are public/private partnerships with states and cities that help add vanpool services to public transit networks. As a complement to existing transit networks, vanpools provide transportation options for commuters who lack access to traditional services like light rail, heavy rail, or bus. It’s also a low-cost way to expand public transportation options outside metropolitan areas.

Vanpooling programs clearly can impact the future of mobility, especially as commuters spend more and more time travelling to and from work. Vanpooling is an affordable, efficient option that works — for commuters’ pocketbooks and the environment. Further, as a strategic transportation provider, Commute with Enterprise has both an opportunity and an obligation to help businesses, government agencies and communities of all sizes reach their own mobility and sustainability goals.

As a Champion-level ACT Corporate Partner, Commute with Enterprise is one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive vanpool operators that delivers fleet flexibility and local service. Each year, the 11,300 vanpools operated by Enterprise in 45 states eliminate 1.4 billion commuter miles. Commute with Enterprise provides regional vanpool services in more than 75 U.S. cities and helps state governments overcome transportation challenges in their communities. In taking 67,000 cars off roads and parking lots, the program also reduces 1.1 billion pounds of carbon emissions annually. Please visit our website www.commutewithenterprise.com to learn more.