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Dear valued vanpooler,
As part of our ongoing effort to improve our commuter experience, we are excited to introduce a new flat rate fare model for our vanpool service starting in May 2022.
The new fares are based exclusively on the daily round trip commute miles of the van. This means you will now have a simple, predictable, and consistent fare each month, regardless of how many people are in your vanpool group or how many days per week you commute.
Starting with May 2022 fares, you will automatically be transitioned to one of six flat rate fare options listed here:
We anticipate you may have a few questions about the new vanpool fares. Please take a moment to review the information provided below.
Why is Pierce Transit changing vanpool fares?
As you may have noticed, our current vanpool fares are complicated and require a lot of ongoing adjustments each month. They are calculated using three variables: daily round trip miles, group size, and number of commute days. This translates to 420 different fares with over 2,000 possible fare combinations.
To eliminate ongoing adjustments and provide you with a predictable and consistent vanpool fare each month, we decided to simplify our fares and move away from a system that is more complicated than it needs to be.
Why do this now?
There are enough things to worry about these days. A fluctuating vanpool fare shouldn’t be one of them. Our goal is to make our commuter experience the best in the business. A simplified flat rate fare is another step in that direction.
The last time we made changes to our vanpool fares was back in 2013. A lot has changed since then. We believe now is the right time to make the transition to a system that provides you with increased stability and consistency.
How will I be impacted?
While we have made every effort to minimize impacts to your current fare, you may notice a minimal increase or decrease on your May fare statement. On average, the increase or decrease to your monthly fare will be around $15. Our projections indicate that less than half of our commuters will experience a fare increase and half will experience a fare decrease as we transition to a more stable fare model.
A predictable monthly fare is especially important to our commuters who take advantage of commute subsidies offered by their employer as they often must identify what their vanpool fare is going to be months in advance when submitting subsidy elections.
Does this change my current vanpool service?
There are no service changes resulting from the transition to the new flat rate fares. The new fares will continue to cover all commuter expenses for participation in the vanpool program, including fuel, maintenance, cleaning, and insurance. Primary drivers will continue to have their fare fully subsidized in groups with six or more full-time participants.
Do I need to do anything?
No. You will automatically be transitioned to one of the six new flat rate fares based on daily round trip commute miles. Your new fare will be listed on your May fare statement that will be sent on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach out to us at Vanpool@PierceTransit.org or 253.581.8000 (option 3, then 2).
Thank you for being a valued member of our smart commute family!
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