TDM Toolbox

Subsector: Trip Reduction Programs (Regional)
Subsidized non-Single Occupancy Vehicle Modes – Subsidized Vanpools
VMT Reduction Potential: 4
Cost: 3
ROI: 3
TAM Relevancy: 3
Land Use Content: Urban, Suburban, Rural
Trip Type: School, Residential, Commute
Scale: Regional, Community
Timing: Short Term (1-3 years)
Implementors-Private: Educational Institutions, Employers, Property Managers
Implementors-Public: Municipalities, Regional Agencies, Transit Agencies
Eligibility Status: California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (2024), Hennepin County VMT Reduction Study, LA Metro, Connect SoCal 2024 TDM Toolbox of Strategies
Eligibility Status: Feasible, Currently Exist, Implementable/Expandable, Applicable Funding

Description

Subsidizing non-single occupancy vehicle modes can reduce the cost of alternative modes of transportation and encourage shifts to away from single occupancy vehicles.

This measure provides financial subsidies to reduce the cost of vanpools. The subsidies are often structured to taper off over time or can be provided as an ongoing subsidized program.

Implementation Details

  • Partner with CalVans and other non-profits to provide vanpool services to farms and low income service jobs.
  • Partner with private providers such as Enterprise to establish an account and program for commuters to use.

Mitigation Potential

Providing monetary incentives to use alternative modes of transportation reduces vehicle trips and therefore VMT. Related quantification methods for vanpools include CAPCOA, T-11. Provide Employer-Sponsored Vanpool, pg. 104-108.

Linked Strategies

Equity Considerations

Prioritize funding for low-income households and communities with low vehicle ownership rates. Ensure incentives support access to affordable and reliable multimodal options such as transit, biking, and walking. Monitor equity outcomes using disaggregated data on program usage by income and geography.

Funding Sources

Developing a local program would require seed money as well as an ongoing revenue source, consider utilizing Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP), Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), or Clean Mobility Options funds. Specific funding sources include the Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program (California Air Resources Board), and the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program – Sustainable Communities – Competitive and Technical (Caltrans).

Implemented in TAM Area

Current TDM Implementation

Marin Transit Connect and the County have a partnership with Commute with Enterprise to provide vanpool services to County employees. Benefits-eligible County employees also receive $60 per month in RideGreen incentive towards their portion of the vanpool fare. Throughout the county, the Bay Area Vanpool Program from MTC’s 511 provides benefits of up to $500 a month off vanpool prices.

TDM Benefit Locations

Other agencies and jurisdictions can implement vanpool benefits like the County of Marin for their employees and encourage local businesses to do the same. This TDM measure can benefit a wide range of employer types, but particularly those whose employees have limited access to transit or a lot of employees coming from zero- or one-vehicle households.