One of the employment challenges Columbus has faced over the years is that some potential workers have struggled with finding consistent transportation to Walesboro plants for jobs with companies at the Woodside industrial area.
That’s resulted in some companies losing potential employees because they couldn’t provide their own transportation and the city didn’t offer a means for them to get there.
Columbus has understood this challenge, but couldn’t make it work with a fixed bus route to Walesboro through its city transit program.
That’s why a new employer vanpool program is welcome news.
The city and the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority agreed to a three-year pilot program, approved May 1 by the Board of Public Works and Safety.
CIRTA will provide transportation to local businesses, including companies in the Walesboro area, starting within the next few months.
The vanpool program will cover all work shifts and be open to all employers in Columbus area. A vanpool would consist of five to 15 people.
CIRTA, which already provides vanpool services to nine counties, including Marion, will organize riders, a primary and backup driver, and secure a meeting/parking spot.
Another benefit is CIRTA will arrange emergency rides home for participants as part of a program that will provide up to five free rides home.
The only fee for participants is toward gasoline expenses.
Columbus will pay CIRTA a maximum of $21,000 annually for administrative costs. Operating costs will be split with the city paying 65 percent and participating employers covering 35 percent. The city’s share will be reimbursed by federal funds.
A vanpool program such as this removes the transportation barrier, and should help expand the number of prospective workers for factories and businesses that need them.
This is a good solution and an opportunity that employers and workers should seize.
