Colorado State University employees can participate in a new vanpool subsidy program offering up to $100/month for six months to new VanGo vanpool riders. The grant-funded subsidy is made possible through a partnership with the City of Fort Collins and the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization which operates VanGo.
Vanpool is an ideal commute option for employees with longer commutes who would like to share drive time and costs with fellow employees.
“The new $100 per month vanpool subsidy program is a great opportunity for CSU employees commuting to our Fort Collins campuses to try a vanpool for little to no cost for six months,” said Nate Vander Broek, active transportation professional at CSU’s Parking and Transportation Services. “Vanpools offer many advantages over driving a personal vehicle. For example, vanpoolers save on fuel, maintenance, repairs, car insurance and parking permits.”
In addition to the financial advantages of vanpooling, many participants also enjoy the camaraderie of their commute partners. According to Shane Armstrong, operations and fleet manager of VanGo: “One of the many benefits of vanpooling is the social aspect. Our vanpoolers have been known to socialize with each other outside their vanpools, aid their fellow vanpoolers in times of need, celebrate employment milestones together, and have reported that they get home less stressed from the day as they’ve had the opportunity to decompress the workday with their van-mates, thereby making their home-time not consumed by their workday.”
Ideal candidates for this program should live 15 miles or more from their work location at CSU’s Main, South or Foothills Campus and can commit to using the vanpool service full-time (three or more times per week).
A webinar will be held on Thursday, April 25, from noon to 1 p.m. for CSU community members who want to learn more. The registration link for that webinar and future sessions is available at pts.colostate.edu/vanpool-general.
Anyone interested in taking advantage of this subsidy by joining a vanpool can set up an account at vangovanpools.org and should email vango@nfrmpo.org to inquire about the most recent matching opportunities within CSU. For any additional questions about vanpooling or other commute options, contact Vander Broek at nathanvanderbroek@colostate.edu or (970)491-6737.
