Columbus has approved a new employer vanpool program with the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority to provide transportation to local businesses, including companies in the Walesboro area.
The program, which is expected to begin in the next few months, will cover all work shifts and is open to all employers in the Columbus area, said Andrew McGee, assistant director with CIRTA, which will manage the program.
CIRTA, which currently provides vanpool services in Marion County and eight other counties, will organize riders, a primary and backup driver and secure a meeting/parking spot, according to the organization. It will also arrange emergency ride homes for participants under a program that offers up to five free rides home.
The ride-sharing program started in Indianapolis in 2004 and will require participants to pay a fee toward gas expenses, McGee said.
CIRTA will provide vanpool and carpool matching for Columbus residents and employees that will be available to access on the organization’s website. The vanpool consists of five to 15 people.
“CIRTA is pleased to be able to assist the Columbus community with our Commuter Connect ride-share service,” McGee said. “Regional transit is a must and what’s good for Columbus is good for central Indiana.”
An agreement between the city and CIRTA, based in Indianapolis, for the three-year pilot program was approved on Tuesday by the Columbus Board of Works.
Columbus will pay CIRTA an amount not to exceed $21,000 annually to cover administrative costs, while the operating cost of each vanpool will be covered 65 percent by the city and the remaining 35 percent by employers, said Jeff Bergman, city-county planning director. The city’s share will be reimbursed by federal funds.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop described the program as an innovative response to a critical need for employee transportation.
“This concept provides greater flexibility than a fixed route bus and shares the cost of commuting among the city, local employers and workers,” Lienhoop said.
A committee made up of Lienhoop, city department heads, employers, staffing agencies and other community organizations was formed in early 2017 to discuss employee transportation solutions.
A bus route to the Woodside industrial area on the city’s west side was eventually identified as a need in the ColumBUS transit improvement and expansion plan and the Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s long range transportation plan.
Cindy Frey, president of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, commended the city and local employers for creating a vanpool program that provides reliable, low-cost transportation for employees.
“Carpooling is hardly a new idea, but when a city, its employers and their employees apply the concept in a new way, it is a model of civic innovation,” Frey said.
The Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. also supports the program, which is expected to increase the pool of prospective workers due to expansion of public transportation.
“Through many conversations with area employers, we’ve heard of their desire to gain access to more workers,” said Jason Hester, president of the organization.
CIRTA will have to work to identify people who are willing to drive the vans before the program can get started, McGee said.
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The city’s upcoming vanpool program, which will be operated by the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority, will cover all shifts. It is open to all employers in the Columbus area.
Employees will likely to have pay a small fee to cover gas costs once the vanpool program begins, which is expected to occur in the next few months. CIRTA will first have to identify individuals willing to drive the vans, said Andrew McGee, assistant director with the organization.
More information: www.cirta.us
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