First All-Electric Vanpool in the US Begins Commuter Service in San Bernadino County
Victor Valley Transit Authority recently approved the first all-electric vanpool under its subsidized Vanpool program, demonstrating its growing commitment to electrification. The vanpool group has a 148-mile daily commute that originates from an area in which no direct public transportation route exists.
Green Commuter, the first US-based company to offer electric vehicles for public transit vanpool programs, is the provider of the new zero emission vanpool service. VVTA approved Green Commuter as a new program vendor in June 2018.
The all-electric option for VVTA’s vanpool program directly engages commuters in state and regional sustainability objectives, including: Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) greenhouse gas reduction targets; and Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District’s ozone and criteria pollutant targets. The zero-emission solution also supports ambitious state-level goals such as AB 32 and SB 375.
“VVTA is committed to improving the environmental conditions throughout its service area. Including an electric vehicle option in relation to its vanpool program is just one way that VVTA can help make the commutes of the population we serve a little greener,” said VVTA CTSA Director Aaron Moore, who noted the importance of including electric vehicles in its vanpool fleet.
“Victor Valley Transit continually strives to deliver innovative transportation options that better serve its community, and vanpool is a great commuter program that has a positive impact to the region’s economy,” said VVTA Executive Director Kevin Kane. “Its success was showcased at a recent APTA conference as one of the thirty largest in the country.”
“With Green Commuter’s model, even minimum-wage earners can now drive a zero-emission vehicle to work every day while saving money," said Gustavo Occhiuzzo, Chief Executive Officer of Green Commuter.
VVTA, recently listed as one of the nation’s top 30 vanpool agencies by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), is looking to further increase its number of vanpools to 250 units in 2019. Green Commuter and VVTA are actively working with local employers to assure that electric-vehicle charging stations are available at Park and Rides and other accessible locations to support increased electrification.
Investing in clean energy solutions is a long-term operational focus for VVTA Board of Directors. VVTA recently announced plans to procure seven zero emission, battery-electric, transit buses. The buses mark the beginning of the agency’s conversion of its current fleet to a zero-emission fleet as it works toward a goal of 100 percent electric public transit by 2040.
VVTA now offers a $500 subsidy to organized vanpool groups with routes in its service area that includes Apple Valley, Hesperia, Barstow, Victorville, Adelanto and other San Bernardino/Inland Empire communities.
