VANPOOL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility
Although most participants in the City's Vanpool Program are regular employees of the City of Los Angeles, you do not have to be a City employee to ride. DWP employees, Airport/Harbor Department employees, contract employees, and even those who are not associated with the City of Los Angeles may participate in the program.

How to Start a Vanpool
To form a vanpool, there must be a sufficient number of people (at least four) coming from the same general area and going to a common destination worksite or area at least three times per week. The vanpool program is based on a Monday through Friday work schedule with reporting to work start times between 6 am to 10 am. When an employee decides to form a new vanpool, they must submit a Vanpool Startup Form which lists the Primary Driver/Coordinator, Alternate driver(s), Members, start location, work location, and work hours. COMMUTEwell staff will review this information and contact the designated Primary Driver/Coordinator for further processing. Vans are provided by the City through a third-party rental agency (Enterprise Rideshare) which provides insurance coverage for all drivers, van maintenance and repairs, emergency roadside assistance, and vanpool driver assistance. All drivers must be approved by Enterprise Rideshare and COMMUTEwell. Gas for the vans is provided by the City through GSD Fuel Services Division at any City fuel site.

Joining an Existing Vanpool
Current vanpool routes serve commuters from a large number of areas outside the City of Los Angeles traveling to a wide variety of City worksites. Although a large percentage of vans travel to the Downtown Los Angeles/Civic Center area, we also have vans commuting to the Hyperion and Tillman Water Treatment Facilities, the West Los Angeles and Van Nuys Civic Centers, and many other City facilities outside of the downtown area. See list vanpool routes.

Roles and Responsibilities
Within the group forming the vanpool, there must be at least one "Primary Driver" who will drive on a regular basis. In addition, there must be at least one "Alternate Driver" who will drive when the Primary Driver has a regular day off or is off work on sick leave, vacation leave, or jury duty. Vanpool drivers are responsible for transporting their passengers to and from work in a safe and reliable manner and maintaining the van. Drivers are also responsible for recording vanpool mileage and occupancy on the vanpool log on a daily basis. Each van also must have a "Vanpool Coordinator (usually the Primary Driver)" who is responsible for keeping the day-to-day administrative support of the van.

LA Metro Vanpool Program
All vanpools are required to participate in the LA Metro Vanpool Program which provides a subsidy towards the rental costs of up to $600 per month. All vanpool members are required to register with the LA Metro Vanpool Program. The vanpool Coordinator will be responsible for providing monthly participant and log information to LA Metro.

TERMS

  • Primary Driver – Must be at least 25 years old. Responsible for transporting passengers to and from work on a daily basis. In addition to driving, the Primary Driver is responsible for the proper storage of their vans and must make sure that the vehicles are properly fueled and maintained. Additional responsibilities are outlined in the Vanpool Driver Application/Agreement. In exchange for taking the responsibility of driving and maintaining the van, the Primary Driver is not required to pay the monthly Vanpool Fare. In addition, the Primary Driver is allotted up to 250 miles per month for personal use of the vanpool vehicle. For additional information, please also review the materials on the Vanpool Information webpage.

  • Alternate Drivers – Must be at least 25 years old. Responsible for all driver duties in the absence of the Primary Driver. For each day an Alternate Driver takes on these responsibilities, they will be reimbursed the amount of their daily fare.

Drivers must have a Class A, B, or C California Driver's License and agree to release their DMV records to the City of Los Angeles Personnel Department. They must also sign a Sworn Statement of Safe Driving Record annually. In addition, they must pass a physical examination administered by the City's Personnel Department, and be available and willing to participate in periodic Driver's Training and Safety Awareness courses conducted by the Personnel Department.

  • Vanpool Coordinator (Usually the Primary Driver) – Responsible for keeping daily ridership records, collecting fares, and filling empty seats. Vanpool Coordinators are responsible for maintaining a supply of Vanpool Program forms for new riders. These forms include applications, agreements, liability waivers, deduction cards, notice of withdrawal forms, deduction cancellation cards, and refund request forms. The Vanpool Coordinator is also responsible for submitting all forms, fares, and monthly envelopes to the Personnel Department, Employee Benefits Division – COMMUTEwell by the third working day of each month.

  • Regular Passenger (Van Member) – A rider who holds a permanent seat on the vanpool and pays a monthly vanpool fare by the first day of each month.

  • Occasional Rider (Occasional Passenger) – A rider who may ride only if a vacant seat is available on a given day and pays on a daily basis.

Only City of LA employees may form vanpools and serve as a driver or coordinator. Although anyone may join a vanpool as a regular or occasional passenger (provided that they complete the required Vanpool Agreement and Liability Waivers and pay the vanpool fare), City of LA employees have priority in placement in a vanpool.