ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: January 24, 1997
Dept. File No. H-951
CC File No. 5551-1
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT: Vanpool Program
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve the continued use of the Engineering van
number A1972 for the purpose of vanpooling.
B. THAT should opportunities arise to expand the program, the
General Manager of Engineering Services and Corporate Services
be authorized to approve the use of other vans on a comparable
basis.
COUNCIL POLICY
On October 16, 1990, Council directed that an in-house carpool program
for City employees be initiated as part of the Clouds of Change
recommendation. 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. On October 24, 1995, Council
approved a pilot vanpool program, for a period of twelve months, to use
an existing passenger van number A1972, of Engineering Services.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to obtain Council approval to continue the
use of passenger van Number A1972 of Engineering Services for the
purpose of vanpooling.
Background
On July 30, 1991, Council considered a Policy Report (Traffic & Transit)
in which the General Manager of Engineering Services reported on the
City's carpool/vanpool program and provided information on other related
initiatives. In an effort to reduce single occupancy vehicles and their
exhaust emissions in the City, Council approved a vanpool program in
principle. On October 24, 1995, Council approved use of a City of
Vancouver van for the purpose of vanpooling. The van was to be used by
six civic employees from the South Surrey area. Monthly charges were
calculated to cover the additional required insurance, fuel, maintenance
and accelerated depreciation costs.
Discussion
The vanpool has operated continuously since then, and has been expanded.
Eight employees at City Hall currently use van A1972, Monday through
Friday, to commute from South Surrey. The van is able to take advantage
of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and queue jumping arrangements on
Highway 99 near the George Massey Tunnel and in the City, and used the
temporary HOV facilities during Oak Street Bridge repairs in 1995. There
are two more people on a waiting list to join the vanpool. Each of the
eight current members pays $50.00 per month to the City. A back-up
vehicle has been identified and made available to ensure uninterrupted
service for the users during vehicle maintenance periods.
Financial Implications
One of the objectives of the pilot Vanpool program is to ensure that
additional operating costs are fully recovered from participants. A
summary of the past year's revenue and expenses is attached as Appendix
A. The fees collected from participating employees are adequate to
cover the additional operating costs for fuel and repairs/maintenance,
and make a contribution to insurance and depreciation.
Conclusions
The provision of a City-fleet passenger van for the purposes of
vanpooling has been successful from an environmental perspective, and is
self-supporting. The recommendation is also supportive of the Transport
2021 Plan and Draft Transportation Plan to reduce the number of
single-occupancy vehicles on the road. Therefore, it is recommended
that continued use of van A1972 for vanpooling be approved, and
opportunities to expand the program be pursued.
* * * * *
APPENDIX A
SUMMARY OF REVENUE & EXPENSE FOR VANPOOL A1972
REVENUE
# in Vanpool Unit Cost Kilometers
Per User Logged
November '95 6 $55 2200
December '95 6 $55 1900
January '96 7 $50 2200
February '96 7 $50 2100
March '96 8 $50 2100
April '96 8 $50 2000
May '96 8 $50 2200
June '96 8 $50 2000
July '96 8 $50 2200
August '96 8 $50 2100
September '96 8 $50 2000
October '96 8 $50 2300
Total $4,560 25,300 (81%)
City usage 5,900 (19%)
Total usage 31,200
EXPENSES
1995 1996 1996
(to October) (estimated)
Fuel $1,260.98 $2,509.69 $3,011.63
Repair/Maint. $1,046.53 $1,990.38 $2,388.46
Car Washes $7.50 $10.00 $12.00
Insurance $976.00 $999.00 $999.00
Depreciation $1,500.00 $1,500.00 $1,500.00
Total $4,791.01 $7,009.07 $7,911.09