January 31, 2008

CONTACT: rabbittransit
Jenna Reedy, Business Development Manager
Day: 717-849-0708

CONTACT: Commuter Services
Brandy Heilman
Executive Director
Day: 717-620-2344

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            

NEW VANPOOL REDUCE COMMUTERS' CARBON FOOTPRINT BY HALF

York, PA – rabbittransit and Commuter Services of South Central Pennsylvania announced they have formed two new vanpools. Each vanpool helps its riders reduce their carbon footprints by half and also reduces traffic congestion in York County.

Two new 14-passenger vanpools will depart from Shrewsbury to travel to Fort Meade, Maryland, on a daily, weekday commute. The first vanpool coordinated by rabbittransit and Commuter Services starts Friday, February 1.

Representative Eugene DePasquale (95th District) was on hand to lend support for this initiative reducing both greenhouse gases and traffic, which benefits everyone.  It also will benefit these York County residents by helping them save on commuting costs.

“As York County is one of the fastest growing communities in the Commonwealth, we must plan for responsible transportation and growth,” said Representative DePasquale.

"Regional commuters can go greener by leaving their cars at home.  Switching to transit, vanpools, carpools, biking, walking and telecommuting are among the approaches that we promote, not only to reduce your carbon footprint but to relieve traffic congestion as well," said Commuter Services Director Brandy Heilman.

The average American contributes approximately 22 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. By using a vanpool and not commuting alone in a single occupancy vehicle, a commuter reduces his or her “footprint” by nearly 10 metric tonnes per year.

While each vanpool makes a difference, the cumulative effect of mode switching is significant. Commuting by public transportation reduced CO2 emissions in the United States by 6.9 million metric tones in 2005.

“There are many faces of public transportation. Historically, in York there has been traditional fixed route transit service. Recently, rabbitransit added commuter express bus service and now, the newest addition – vanpools,” explained rabbittransit Executive Director Richard Farr.

“Vanpools provide flexibility that is difficult to deliver in a fixed route system,” Farr added. “An added benefit of vanpools is that there is no limit to the number of vanpools that can be formed (as long as there are willing passengers and drivers), and the variety of origins/destinations that they can serve is unlimited.”

To further champion the use of vanpools, rabbittransit is providing a $200 per month subsidy per vanpool.

Commuter Services’ role is to provide professional expertise on vanpools as a commuter option as well as the confidential online ridematching data base that can match York commuters and other regional commuters with vanpool and carpool opportunities. Commuter Services also provides reimbursements for emergency rides home for qualified commuters who use alternatives and does outreach to employers and commuters to promote alternatives other than commuting alone. 

New Vanpool Press Release: PDF | Word

rabbittransit, York County’s public transportation system, provides a variety of transportation services to the residents of York County. Nearly 6,000 people depend on rabbittransit each day to get to work, medical facilities, school and other life-sustaining activities. rabbittransit is dedicated to helping all York Countians get to where they want to go.

Commuter Services is a program of the non-profit Susquehanna Regional Transportation Partnership, whose board includes the Harrisburg Regional Chamber; the Gettysburg Adams, Lebanon Valley and York County Chambers of Commerce; Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Adams County Transit Authority (ACTA); County of Lebanon Transit Authority (COLT); Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA, Lancaster); York County Transportation Authority (rabbittransit); Capital Area Transit (CAT, Cumberland-Dauphin-Harrisburg); the Lancaster, Lebanon and York metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs); Harrisburg MPO (Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties) and Adams Rural Planning Organization (RPO). Funding is provided by the Federal Highway Administration and PennDOT. 1-866-579-RIDE, www.PaCommuterServices.com