When employees were asked in a 2008 study where they might look for a carpool partner if they were interested in carpooling, two in five employees (41%) reported they would go through their work place to find a carpool partner. Nearly one in five (18%) indicate they would turn to friends, family members or co-workers. Our Rideshare staff can help you connect your employees.
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are open only to vehicles with more than one occupant during certain times. The morning restricted hours are from 6 am to 9 am, and in the evening the restricted hours are from 3 pm to 7 pm. Highway Patrol vehicles will pull over and fine drivers who use the HOV lane without a passenger. ADOT allows motorcycles to use the lane for safety purposes, and specially marked Hybriad vehicles may also use the lanes during restricted hours.
HOV lanes are available on the I-10, I-17, SR-51, SR-60, and segments of the 101 Loop. Use caution when moving past slower traffic on the right; other carpools are trying to merge into the HOV lane.
The rule of thumb is: If at least two driving-age individuals travel in the same general direction at least half the total trip distance, it’s a carpool. Scenario #1: Husband shares the commute by dropping off his wife at her employer 20 miles from their home. Husband then drives 5 additional miles to his employer. Both individuals should be considered a carpooler by their employers. Scenario #2: Husband drops his wife off at her employer 3 miles from their home and proceeds to drive 17 miles alone to his company. The wife’s employer should consider her a carpooler (she did not drive into work), but the husband’s employer should not (he drove a majority of the trip alone).
Valley Metro supplies 9 & 15 passenger bench seat and 8 & 14 individual seat vans. Billing, insurance, and maintenance are provided by Valley Metro via a contracted vendor.
The van is insured with a $1,000,000 umbrella policy that covers collision and liability.
Both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance costs are included in the monthly fare. The vans can be serviced at a variety of locations around the Valley. Some jobs can be done on site while employees are at work.
Minimum age of 25, no more than 4 driving record points in the last 3 years, no DUI/DWI, at-fault accidents, or hit and run citations, a valid Arizona driver’s license and a good credit rating.
Valley Metro makes loaner vans available so that rider service will not be interrupted.
Vanpool agreements automatically renew every 30 days. The group’s agreement can be terminated with written notification given 30 days in advance of the termination date. Individual riders are also required to give their group 30 days notices should they choose to leave the vanpool.
The vanpool program provides the driver with a free commute plus up to 300 personal-use miles monthly, paying only for gasoline. Personal use miles over 300 are subject to a fee of $.25 per mile.
The driver maintains and fuels the van, keeps it clean, collects fares from the riders, pays the monthly bill and completes a monthly report. The vanpool driver must also be punctual and drive safely.
Each vanpool makes their own rules regarding smoking, music, pick-up points, length of wait at pick-up points and other issues important to the group.
Vanpool riders must be punctual with their arrival at agreed pick-up locations and with their monthly payments.
The Valley Metro Vanpool Program will reimburse two taxi rides home per year for vanpool riders who have unexpected emergencies.