Carpool program cuts cost of commuting
by Anthony Spaulding

Photo by Brittany Reutzel

CATA coordinates a carpool and vanpool program for Centre Region residents to help keep the cost of commuting down.

Driving to work last semester cost Penn State employee Leslie Hutchins about $60 a week in gas alone.

To save money, Hutchins, a Tyrone resident, searched for other means of transportation. With the help of Penn State's Fleet Services, she found Centre Commute and joined a vanpool.

"It is a big money saver," Hutchins said. "I pay $85 a month now, instead of $60 a week."

Created by the Centre Area Transportation Authority in 1999, Centre Commute helps commuters find simple and cost-effective means of transportation to get to and from work. The service includes Rideshare, a free web-based program to help commuters find people in their area who want to ride in a carpool or vanpool, said CATA Rideshare coordinator Terry Quici.

"They tell the parameters," Quici said. "They say what time they need to be picked up and where they need to be picked up."

After the commuters put their information into the database, they receive matches according to the data they entered. The commuters then contact the people they are matched with to see if they want to form a carpool or vanpool. Once a carpool or vanpool is formed, the commuters make a name for the group and post it on the database.

Quici said CATA has no set rules for the carpools or vanpools. Rather, the commuters control them.

"Each carpool or vanpool makes their own rules," Quici said. "They decide rules such as who drives the carpool or vanpool and how much each person pays for gas."

Quici said people have to make compromises with their fellow riders.

"People have to be flexible to join," Quici said. "Not everyone has the same schedule."

Riders said Centre Commute does more than save them money.

Hutchins said Centre Commute cuts down on the traffic, parking issues and environmental problems associated with cars.

"It is an awesome program," agreed vanpool driver Mike Rodland. "It is convenient for riders because they don't have to drive in bad weather."

Rodland, a Tyrone resident, arranges pickup times and destinations and collects the money for his 15-person vanpool. For his services, Rodland receives from the vanpool $857 a month, some of which goes to CATA.

The money from each carpool or vanpool pays for vehicle maintenance and gas, Rodland said. The amount of money depends on the size of the carpool or vanpool and how far each group travels.

Almost 580 commuters use Centre Commute, including 106 vanpool riders, Quici said. Most of the commuters live within a 60-mile radius of State College.

Hutchins said the service should be expanded.

"Many people around campus want to do it," Hutchins said. "However, they don't have the resources in their area."

CATA hasn’t received any complaints regarding Centre Commute, and it’s growing in popularity.

"Our numbers are increasing," Quici said. "We are getting four new people a week, whereas we used to get only four people a month."