Rt 2 Vanpool Celebrates 30th Birthday

Thirty Years and Three-Quarters of a Million Miles

By Sharon Lakey

Picture this. It’s the summer of 2008. Gas prices are at an all-time high. Ending our vacation in Salt Lake City, my husband and I are entering I-15 during morning rush hour. We spot a black diamond lane sign that reads: 2 PERSON MINIMUM PER VEHICLE. There are two of us in the car, so we move into that far-left lane, and, shockingly, mile after mile we discover we are the only car in it. To our right, I watch as we move past a multitude of cars and trucks, all bearing one person, drivers’ eyes focused dead ahead.

Now picture this. It is November 5, 2008. Gas prices have lowered some. It is 6:25 a.m. in Danville, Vermont. Three people, standing in front of the Dole Block building, are chatting about the election, waiting for their ride. Soon, a GMC 15-passenger van pulls up bearing the license plate “Route 2.” The three disappear inside, greeting the driver and fellow passengers, and the van eases back onto the highway.

America has just elected a President whose talking points have included the need to change an energy policy that makes us dependent on foreign oil. But the much larger issue, as Obama describes it, is a “planet in peril.” Consider the two opening scenarios above and the following statistics from an air quality report published by the State of Vermont: in one year’s time, the Route 2 commuters vanpool saves an estimated 3,875 gallons of gasoline, thereby reducing nitrogen oxides by 690 pounds, volatile organic compounds (some of which are carcinogenic) by 604 pounds, and carbon monoxide by 5,002 pounds. And this has been going on for 30 years!

In 1978, as part of its effort to encourage fuel conservation and help the environment, the Vermont Agency of Transportation made it possible for groups of like-minded people to obtain a van at 0% interest. Enter the Route 2 commuters vanpool, made up mostly of State workers traveling daily from the Northeast Kingdom to Waterbury. In those days, the group was required to form a non-profit organization, following all the regulations that go with that designation. They had to purchase a van and handle all of their own business. This program is still available today, but the State has also partnered with VPSI (Vanpool Service Inc.), a national organization that leases vans. Under the new system, a group does not need to become their own non-profit, and VPSI will coordinate maintenance, insurance, and fare collection.

On November 5, Route 2 Commuters, Inc., members were invited to gather at the home of Nancy and Dan Lewis on Sugar Ridge road in Danville to celebrate the 30th birthday of their organization. It was a charming event for the 18 who attended. Good food and drink was enhanced by the many stories to share. With three-quarters of a million miles on the road behind them, there are bound to be stories.

Richard Boulanger of Lyndonville, who has been riding and driving for 26 years, shared the story of the moose accident. The commuters and van survived despite the fright and flying glass shards. “There was about $4,000 worth of damage,” noted Richard.

“No,” interrupted Gary Gulka of Cabot, who has been riding for 22 years and is the organization’s business manager, “it cost us $6,000!” Richard acquiesced and went on to tell of the time he was a victim of “Abandonment by the Van.” His audience burst into laughter as they imagined Richard chasing after the van on foot with a blissfully unaware driver avoiding all contact with the rearview mirror.

Gulka shared the story of Laser, the seeing-eye dog that rode with one of the passengers in the front of the van. “Yeah,” broke in Tom Dimatteo of Marshfield, “remember when that dog ate Jim’s lunch!” Dimatteo, a driver and rider for 22 years, went off on a few of his own stories--black ice and a near miss with a clueless pickup driver. Most fun was the telling of the hair-raising ride when they went “4-wheeling” with Bob Taplin at the controls.

One of the big questions in my mind was how difficult it might be to organize a vanpool. “At first,” said Boulanger, “we worried about trying to make it fair, like maybe reducing the riding fees for those who drive. But we gave that up, and it just worked its way out. Those who want to drive, do, and those who don’t, that’s okay. We quit worrying about that.”

According to Gulka, in all 30 years, only one rider was asked to leave because they weren’t paying the fees. Maybe that is because it is so much less expensive to ride the van than pay the expenses of driving one’s own vehicle. As the business manager, Gulka remembers the exact cost of all three accidents. Luckily, the reserve of dollars built up in the treasury managed to cover the repairs to the van without raising extra rider fees.

The question, “Why do you ride the van?” was asked of all, both new and old riders. Surprisingly, the answers never wavered from the following: it saves a lot of money (the most common first response); it is easier than driving yourself every day; there is time to “read,” “knit,” “sleep;” and, it helps the environment.

However, the response that brought a smile to everyone’s face and was most often said at the end of the interview was “camaraderie,” the connection between people in a daily activity, the team-ness of it all. “That is what makes it fun,” said Dimatteo.

For those who may be interested in accessing commuting options of all kinds, there is information available through Go Vermont, ConnectingCommuters.org. Their website url is http://www.connectingcommuters.org/

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To hear Tales from the Van, click here

This story was originally published in The North Star Monthy, December, 2008