BROOMFIELD — A local nonprofit and construction firm is offering cash to get people out of their cars and into a van pool during the reconstruction of U.S. 36.
The program provides a three-month reimbursement of up to $150 for new van pools traveling to, or through, the U.S. 36 corridor. Funding for the subsidy is being offered through the U.S. 36 Express Lanes Project and the Ames/Granite Joint Venture.
Potential participants .
The money may help convince solo drivers that van pooling is the more economical and convenient way to deal with the reconstruction, said Audrey DeBarros, 36 Commuting Solutions’ executive director.
“The three-month cost break will give commuters that little extra nudge to give van pooling a try, which will likely lead to long-term commute behavior change once the initial subsidy has been reached,” she said.
According to AAA, solo drivers who commute 15,000 miles in 2013 will spend an average of $860 per month on fuel, maintenance, insurance and registration fees.
After the subsidies provided by 36 Commuting Solutions, she said, van pool riders commuting the same number of miles in a five-person van pool will spend less than $80 per month — a difference of nearly $9,360 a year.
