VANPOOL PROGRAM

CATA launched a community VANPOOL PROGRAM in October 2007 with six vanpool groups. In service now for five years, there are over 30 vanpool groups coming from the Altoona, Lewistown, Lock Haven, Spring Mills, Philipsburg, and Tyrone areas.

A vanpool group is typically 7 – 12 people who share their commute. The vanpool travels from home (or a pre-arranged meeting place) to work, school, or other destination. To be cost-effective, the vanpool group should travel at least 40 miles round trip each day.

CATA provides the van, insurance coverage, maintenance, and a gas card. The fleet gas card provides gas for the vanpools tax-free and volume discounted – keeping costs even lower for the group. The driver is given access codes to use the card at the pump, and CATA gets the bill! . The vanpool group shares the total cost of the operation, which is determined by a base price plus a per mile charge. Fares are billed to the driver/coordinator of the group monthly, with payment due on the first of each month.

To start a vanpool group, ten or more commuters traveling from the same area indicate their interest in a vanpool. The Commuter Services Manager will organize an informational meeting to talk about the program and answer questions, usually over the noon hour when it is more convenient for the group. If the group decides they would like to participate in a vanpool, the Commuter Services Manager asks for a volunteer driver to help organize the group. The driver will ride for free in exchange for driving, collecting the money, and completing the daily log. The group will also receive a credit for washing and cleaning the van monthly.

There is only a month-to-month obligation to the vanpool program. If an individual or group does not feel the vanpool is what they expected, a two-week notification is given to the driver and/or Commuter Services Manager.

Click here to register online

If you have additional questions about the Vanpool Program, please email rideshare@catabus.com or call 814-238-2282 ext. 134.