Businesses Get in Line for Subsidized Van Pools

ANAHEIM — Many Orange County employees will be commuting to work in state-subsidized vans by the end of the year, state and county transportation officials said Friday at Anaheim Stadium.

Businesses in Orange County have applied for about $1.8 million worth of state funds to buy or lease passenger vans to drive employees long distances to work, said Patrick Merrill, head of the state Department of Transportation’s Ride-Share Program.

The subsidies will come from the $10-million state Van-Pool Acquisition Program, which aims to reduce traffic and pollution. The program offers to pay 70% of the van’s cost for employers who agree to use it to transport employees for at least four years, Merrill said.

The program will benefit large businesses that are required by a new law to fight traffic congestion, Merrill said. The South Coast Air Quality Management District mandated that businesses with at least 100 employees raise the average number of passengers in cars coming to work to 1.5.

These businesses are now being notified by mail and have one year upon notification to meet the passenger-per-car average, Merrill said.

State officials announced the program’s progress in front of two vans equipped with such amenities as plush seats, individual reading lights and armrests.

“If we can get 12 people in this van, we are taking 11 automobiles off the road,” said Hal Koch, van-pool consultant for Caltrans. “Wouldn’t you like to drive down the freeway and have it a lot emptier?”

In most cases, employees would be charged a few dollars per day to cover gas and maintenance costs, Merrill said. The vans will be used for commutes of more than 30 miles, he said.

While Merrill did not know how many workers would be affected, he said 26% of the state’s applications for van funds are from Orange County.

The deadline for the first round of applications was Jan. 31, and Caltrans will award the grants by April, said Debra Irizarry, Orange County Transit District project administrator.

Transit District spokeswoman Leah A. Massy said she expects most employers to buy their vans and have them rolling by the end of the year.