Kimberley - Cranbrook Vanpool
If you commute from Kimberley to Cranbrook, then vanpooling may be a great way for you to save money, hassle, and the environment. A vanpool can not only reduce your commuting cost and relieve you from the tedium of driving, but also reduce the environmental impact of your commute.
How does it work?
A vanpool is a group of commuters (generally about 7) who travel together in a van every weekday to commute to and from school or work. The van and all maintenance, repair, fuel, and insurance are provided by the vanpool organisation, while vanpool riders pay a flat fee per month to cover these expenses. One vanpooler drives the van regularly in exchange for a lowered monthly fee (and alternate drivers can drive if needed). The van departs Kimberley at a fixed time every morning, stopping to pick up riders along the way and drops riders off in Cranbrook at their workplace, making the reverse trip in the evening. By combining riders who work near each other or at the same workplace with similar schedules, multiple vanpools can meet the needs of varied commuters. Vanpools have fixed schedules and are reliable, where casual carpools may not be, but are small enough to adapt their routes within reason to meet the needs of individual riders.
What are the benefits?
Driving to Cranbrook and back everyday is expensive, so it only makes sense to share the cost with other commuters. Vanpoolers pay only enough to cover the costs of operating one vehicle, divided by the number of riders, which is much less than the cost of operating a personal vehicle. Vanpoolers get to relax in the van, instead of spending an hour behind the wheel every day. Vanpoolers spend less time and money on repairs and maintenance for their personal vehicle.
Vanpoolers reduce their environmental footprint. One van produces far fewer carbon emmissions and other pollution than seven personal vehicles.
If you combine vanpooling with car sharing, you might even be able to meet your transportation needs without the hassle or cost of owning a car.
What does it cost?
Wildsight anticipates that the monthly cost will be approximately $140 per commuter, which compares very favourably to the Canadian Automible Association’s operating cost estimates for a car of $180 per month and their total car ownership cost estimate of more than $700 per month for Kimberley-Cranbrook commuters.
Interested ?
Let us know by email (sralsg@gmail.com) or by phone (250 427 2535). We need potential vanpoolers in order to create a vanpool, so don't be shy.
Wildsight gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Columbia Basin Trust, a regional corporation created to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin, for providing funding assistance for the project.
