Why do you choose
to vanpool to work?

Ernie Bandana
Commutes from Brookfield to Milford

"I drove alone for a year, and vanpooling is so much better. We started out with six people in a minivan, but we've been able to build up to nine riders, which has put us in a full-size van. The Rideworks customer service people have been fantastic in helping us build up our ridership and taking care of logistics. There's some paperwork I have to do, and I have to fill up the van. But there's no out of pocket expenses because I have a gas card. When the van needs servicing, they pick it up at work and leave another van. Best of all, as a driver I ride for free."

Fred Vitale
Commutes from Danbury to Milford

"The most important reason is that it gives me a huge reduction in the wear-and-tear on my car. I find the vanpooling relaxing. When I arrive at work I'm not so tense as I would be after a one-hour drive. If there's bad weather I can sit back and relax because I know Ernie, our driver, can handle it safely. I enjoy the company of the other people on our vanpool. It's lonesome driving by yourself, but we have a great group of people to talk to. We commute with one van, but we take nine cars off the road, which means less pollution and less traffic for everyone."

What do you like
about vanpooling?

Barry Ball
Commutes from East Lyme to New Haven

"The thing that I like the most is not having to drive. I don't even worry about the price of gas any more, even when it goes up dramatically. On the way in to work I can get a little extra sleep. The vanpool comes in early so we avoid having traffic problems. It's a brand new van, and it gives a very comfortable ride. It picks me up a mile from my house, and everyone's always on time, so you really can't beat it. When we're riding in the van, we replace what would be ten cars on the road with one van, so no one can blame us for congestion."

Jess Linicus
Commutes from Mystic to New Haven

"The number one thing for me is that there's no wear and tear on my car. I have a 2000 Volvo. It's only one year old and it already has 45,000 miles on it. Since we started our vanpool in March, I've hardly put any miles on my car - they're all getting racked up on the van instead. A lot of people say that you loose flexibility when you take a vanpool, but I see it the other way around. With the vanpool, we don't have to worry about parking, and our commute pattern is completely reliable. We're on time to work and on time getting home, which frees us up for other things."