Vancouver City Council |
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: February 10, 2003
Author/Local: Doug Manarin /604-323-7793
RTS No.: 03215
CC File No. 5551Council: February 25, 2003
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:
City Carpool Program - Addition of Dedicated Vehicles
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve the allocation of $312,000 from the Truck Plant Account (Order Group EQ1) for the purchase of twelve (12) passenger vans as an addition to the City fleet for use as carpool vehicles, with all costs to be fully recovered from the participants through monthly charges.
POLICY
Council approves expenditures from Reserves, including the Truck Plant Account.
Council approves all increases in service levels including the addition of vehicles to the City fleet.
On October 16, 1990 Council directed that an in-house carpool program for City employees be initiated as part of the Clouds of Change recommendations.
On July 30, 1991, Council approved a vanpool program in principle. Vans would be made available for commuting to and from work and would be used for work related duties during the day. The costs of vanpooling would be recovered from users.
BACKGROUND
Over the past ten years, the City's carpooling initiatives have been very successful in encouraging carpooling by City staff. In total, there are approximately 100 staff carpoolers city-wide. City vehicles are assigned to carpools for use to and from work, outside of business hours, when the vehicles are typically not needed for City use. All incremental costs for the program are paid by the carpoolers. The program has proven so successful that waiting lists exist in several work locations, including City Hall. At the Manitoba Works Yard, 32 employees are involved in carpooling, and approximately 25 employees are on a waiting list to begin carpooling. Throughout the City, there are approximately 100 individuals waiting to get into a carpooling program. In the past 12 months, carpooling at the Manitoba Works Yard has increased substantially, but as in other locations, it is now constrained by a lack of carpool vehicles.DISCUSSION
The concept of using off-duty City vehicles for carpooling has been successful at City Hall because of the large number of suitable vehicles available for use; however, the program has peaked due to a lack of additional vehicles. At some other work sites, such as the Manitoba WorksYard, the program has also been constrained by a lack of suitable vehicles. Most of the vehicles located at the Yard, such as pickup trucks, garbage trucks, recycling trucks, and dump trucks, are not suitable for carpooling use. By adding dedicated carpool vehicles to the program, the number of employees using the program will increase substantially.
The decisions by Council to advocate carpooling have had many direct benefits to the City of Vancouver and the general public. Some of these benefits include reduced air pollution, less demand on parking stalls, less traffic congestion, and less fuel consumption. By travelling in one passenger van instead of six single occupancy compact cars, about 159 tons of greenhouse gases emmissions (measured in CO2 equivalents) could be reduced over a seven year period, based on approximately 20,000 km per year of travel. Because of the program's success, it is recommended that the program be expanded by purchasing 12 additional vans for use in carpools, which would service approximatley 72 to 84 additional carpoolers. The addition of the 12 vans identified in this report will continue to expand the benefits of the City's carpooling program.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The purchase of the 12 vans for $312,000 (approximately $26,000 each) will be fully funded by charging per kilometre rental rates to users based on the carpooling distance for maintenance, depreciation, insurance, and fuel at no additional cost to the City. The projected cost to each carpool user will vary with participation. A carpool with an 80 kilometre round trip per day would cost aproximately $750 per month or $125 per person, based on a six person carpool. Most carpools will be financed over six to eight years, and capital recoveries will be transferred back to the Truck Plant Account (Order Group EQ1). The carpool vehicles will be operated as a distinct fleet group, and operating surpluses or deficits will be contained within the carpooling program.
In the event that a carpool group dissolves, if no other carpool can be formed, then the vehicle would be absorbed into the regular fleet to replace an existing unit due for replacement or would be sold and the capital returned to the Truck Plant Account.
As the carpool fleet grows, there will be some additional benefits to the City due to increased distribution of overhead costs, and greater purchasing power due to increased vehicle procurement.
CONCLUSION
Engineering Services recommends that Council approve the allocation of $312,000 from the Truck Plant Account for the purchase of 12 passenger vans as an addition to the City fleet for use as carpool vehicles. All carpooling costs for these vehicles will be fully funded by the participants through monthly charges.
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