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Goodwill, partners roll out vanpool project
7/10/2015
Goodwill and others can train many people for work, but often those individuals can’t get to jobs due to transportation issues. To overcome those challenges, a local collaborative has brought Tulsa its first vanpool project.
The pilot project kicked off with a gathering under the blazing morning sun Friday at S & R Compression in Tulsa, the first employer to opt-in.
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| Christy Sanders, business manager at S&R Compression in Tulsa, speaks on how the new pilot vanpool project will benefit the company and its employees. |
Christy Sanders, business manager at S&R explained the company immediately saw the benefits of the program for its employees, such as saving money and building camaraderie. Partnering with the program was another way to show S&R’s commitment to its employees, Sanders said.
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| Jimmy Smith, S&R Compression supervisor, expresses appreciation for the work that brought the vanpool project to Tulsa. |
The vanpooling project is a collaborative effort of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Workforce Tulsa, Goodwill Industries of Tulsa, The Center for Employment Opportunities, Women in Recovery, Madison Strategies, and the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech Skills Centers. The collaborative’s main objective was connecting workers to companies with job opportunities, said Jennifer Haddaway, who coordinates the Transportation Resource Center for the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG).
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| Cheryl O’Connor of vRide explains how the company will support the pilot vanpool project in Tulsa. |
vRide, the nation’s largest private provider of vanpooling services, is supplying the 15-passenger van. Money for the project comes from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the United Way, and federal and local transportation funding facilitated by INCOG.
S&R supervisor Jimmy Smith has the honor of being the first vanpool driver. Smith touted the environmental benefits saying the vanpool takes “five vehicles off the road.”
Most of all, Smith was very appreciative for the program: “It’s a great benefit to each of us.” He mentioned how the out-of-pocket costs were “slim to none” because the riders were splitting the fuel costs and vRide was taking care of all the van maintenance.
vRide has more than 7,500 vans on the road nationwide, said Cheryl O’Connor, government account executive. She said vRide would give its signature support and customer service to the Tulsa program.
“If they have a flat tire, we help them out,” O’Connor said. “If they have issues with the riders, we help them out.”
More
- Companies interested in having their employees join a vanpool may call Crystal Scarborough at (918) 796-1234.
- Check available routes at www.vride.com/INCOG.
Collaborative Members:
