Some combine taking workers to jobs with delivering children to schools or day-care. Van pools are cheap, compared with big buses, light or heavy rail or monorails, because they don't require a big investment. And because they don't have to pay a driver. Vanpool, a national business, has contracted with the Department of Transportation to encourage and provide vans. The driver rides free.
Riders pay a monthly fee and split the cost of fuel and parking.
On Maui, Harris says, van pooling ought to be a natural among, for example, resort housekeepers, who are frequently tight-knit groups to begin with and who start and stop work at the same hour. Also, although the van cannot be used as a school bus by the driver, if the poolers agree, children can be carried as long as their parent is riding along. Harris has scheduled meetings with management at nine Maui resorts to try to whip up some enthusiasm for encouraging van pooling here. Some employers pay a subsidy as part of work benefits, either to help get a pool going, or permanently. Even providing a parking space close to the staff entrance is enough to show that van pooling is supported, says Harris.