Vanpool: Improved Monitoring Could Help Achieve Strategic Goals and Reduce Program Risk

The King County Commuter Van Services program (Vanpool) provides county-owned vans to carpool groups to reduce traffic congestion and the environmental impact of daily commutes. The Vanpool program is navigating a period of change and uncertainty in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and King County’s commitment to transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2035. Although King County Metro Transit’s Mobility Services (Mobility Services) has been developing creative and proactive approaches to rebuild ridership, it still faces structural and strategic barriers to achieving its equity and environmental goals. For example, King County Code requires the Vanpool program to recover most program costs which contributes to high fares, limiting the accessibility of the program to low-income populations. The program also faces substantial risk. It has an operating budget well under 1 percent of the overall King County budget, yet it represents over 2.5 percent of the County’s insurance claims payments, totaling $2.3 million in 2023. Mobility Services can better mitigate risk by tracking additional information about vehicle use and their potential misuse and strengthening its monitoring of policies and procedures.

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• Vanpool: Improved Monitoring Could Help Achieve Strategic Goals and Reduce Program Risk