Pace offers public transportation options and best practice advice for vanpooling or carpooling in the Pace Commuter Rideshare service area. When you travel in a group, you can share commuter resources, turn the experience into something better and you may even form a few friendships along the way.
Apply Best Practices for Vanpooling or Carpooling
How to Form and Keep a Pace Commuter Rideshare Group
Whether you have an existing carpool, Pace Vanpool or want to start a new group, Pace offers a few ways to connect with other commuters:
- Create a Pace Commuter Rideshare account to search and connect with others. Be sure to provide details in the comment box found at the end of the registration form so your intentions are understood.
- Print the "Join my Group" flyer, poster, or table tent to distribute at work, school, in an apartment building or business park – or share the PDF by email, text or through social media.
- Share our brochure, video, and enlist help from your association or property manager, student service office, the Human Resource Department, employer’s Transportation or Sustainability Coordinator to:
- Distribute your completed Join My Group information to a larger audience.
- Create interest at work by utilizing marketing materials available at PaceBus.com/Employers
- Request a virtual or in-person employee presentation by emailing Vanpool@PaceBus.com
Pace can also assist by publicizing available seating in existing groups or transforming a carpool into a Pace Vanpool.
- For Pace Vanpools, email Pace staff at VIP.Rep@PaceBus.com to request that the online vanpool description be adjusted and ask staff to directly invite potential participants to join through Facebook and email announcements.
- For carpools, create a Pace Commuter Rideshare account, register your carpool, and then email Pace staff to invite other registrants to join.
To gain more riders, also consider:
- Adding a stop or adjusting travel times
- Having one driver cover the first or last mile and another driver cover the main portion of the commute.
- Coordinating for a few participants to travel together to the meeting point (transit stop or park-n-ride) by using public transportation or a carpool before boarding the vanpool.
A Checklist for Commuter Ridesharing
To make sure things are coordinated, meet with your group virtually, at work or in a public location to discuss the logistics. Here’s a list of topics to cover:
- Evaluate the advantages of carpooling and vanpooling to determine which option is more suitable.
- How driving will be handled (i.e., one carpool driver or alternating the driving). Consider becoming a Vanpool driver.
- Select more than one driver to cover days off.
- Decide on how errands, coffee runs and arriving late will be handled.
- How many rider stops need to be made? The fewer stops, the shorter the total travel time.
- Plan out the times of rider stops and how riders get there. Consider these helpful resources.
- For the pick-up and drop-off spots, choose mutually convenient meeting places such as:
- Residential home
- Central location (e.g., park-n-ride lot, bus/train stop, retail location or community building)
- Shared destinations (e.g., employer’s parking lot or a parking garage)
- Check on the driver’s license status of all drivers.
- Use of a safe, clean, insured, fueled, and serviced vehicle. Insurance coverage should be carried by the vehicle’s owner.
- Figure out a code of conduct regarding sounds, scents, conversation topics, seating, and use of space.
- Agree on communication methods for last-minute changes and advanced notice of time off or overtime.
- Create a backup plan for emergencies or when a driver is unavailable.
- Decide on the vehicle (e.g., a rental, privately owned or Pace Vanpool). Discuss parking arrangements (e.g., park-n-ride lots, costs, and who will set things up).
Once everything is set up, give your group time to come together and run smoothly.
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Discover Commuter Rideshare Rewards
There are many benefits to travelling together. Cost savings are dependent on the group size, commute miles, participation frequency, type of vehicle, routing design, available incentives and more. Check out the Pace Savings Calculator to see how much you can save.
If you travel to work, there could be some rewards available such as priority parking, incentives, or an employee tax-free commuter benefit which can be used to pay for Pace Vanpool fares or parking. If there are no employee rewards in place, see if your employer is open to offering a commuter program or benefits.
To cover travel costs, carpoolers can review the AAA’s driving cost calculations and the IRS standard mileage rate when determining passenger rates. The group will need to determine how costs will be handled, format accepted and frequency of payment. If your group agrees that everyone will take turns driving, then exchanging money may not be necessary.
For Pace Vanpooling, payment is handled through Pace. There are low monthly part-time and full-time fares. Riders receive individualized invoices while primary drivers participate at no cost.
Once your group is commuting regularly, you can use the travel calendar to track actual costs and emission savings. After you are registered online, you can access the travel calendar and then learn what are the total monthly money and miles saved as well as the pounds of emissions reduced.
Helpful tips:
- Employees traveling between Illinois and Wisconsin can also register at RideshareEtc.org for additional opportunities to join or start a commuter group.
- Most people join a Pace Vanpool by hearing about it from others. Invite someone to join your group and share the savings.
- For Pace Vanpools, Pace screens and trains volunteer drivers and provides a van, insurance fuel, maintenance, roadside assistance and more.
- In Pace Vanpools, backup drivers are encouraged to help with driving.
- For unexpected personal emergencies, Pace will cover up to $125 per year for vanpoolers to take alternative transportation. Discover more about the Guaranteed Ride Home program.
