Historically, when governments and corporations have sought to increase vanpools and carpools, they have increased the subsidies for ridesharing. York argues that this has been ineffective. You can t continue to buy the price down with subsidies. Otherwise, eventually you ll be paying your customer to ride. According to VPSI s Henning, price is not the most important factor when it comes to vanpools.
People are willing to pay for good, convenient riding arrangements.
We ve found that when we add amenities, such as more comfortable seats, people don t complain about an increase in cost. In addition to vanpools, VPSI is also providing carpools for two, three or four riders. A vehicle, complete with insurance, a maintenance package and a pricing structure, is provided. Vanpools work where transit is too big to operate. Basically, we ve taken the best of an effective vanpool system, like Easy Street, and extended it to a carpool system.