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Vanpooling near Ellensburg, WA. |
Freewheeling is the first-ever statewide vanpool education campaign sponsored by WSDOT with support from transit agencies throughout the state. This campaign is designed to create new vanpool ridership and sustain existing ridership by promoting the financial and environmental benefits of vanpooling as well as the concept of vanpooling as a chosen lifestyle. No surprise then, that Washington State leads the nation in the number of vanpools used for commuting. Many public transit agencies, both large and small, around the state include vanpool operations in their mix of services.
Freewheeling Campaign photos
Background
Although the agencies have always shared information about their programs with other agencies, they have never before cooperated on a statewide effort to promote vanpool services. Each agency has typically decided when and how to promote its own service, even when service areas are shared, such as in the greater Puget Sound. Campaigns often overlapped and even conflicted with each other. Since employers are sometimes served by more than once agency, overlapping campaigns can be problematic and confusing.
In addition, a Vanpool Market Assessment completed by the WSDOT in late 1999 for the Puget Sound Region validated our need and our capacity for significant growth in the vanpool market. Building on the concepts and recommendations included in this report, the agencies, spearheaded by WSDOT, created a Vanpool Education Strategy Committee in early-2004 to examine our individual and collective needs and determine how best to stimulate growth in vanpooling throughout the state.
Freewheeling PowerPoint presentation, 2005 (pdf 739 kb)
Freewheeling ACT Conference paper, 2005 (pdf 377 kb)