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From Missile Ranger Front Page
The commute to White Sands Missile Range can be a great concern for drivers who work on the range, especially when you consider all the hazards. Aside from maintaining their personal vehicles, employees at WSMR have to worry about the hazards of the drive to and from work; such as road conditions, sleep deprivation, wild animals and the weather. Vanpool Services, Inc., VPSI, is helping to ease those concerns. For the past three years, VPSI has made the commute to and from work safer for many commuters by providing leased multi-passenger vans that for the most part offer free rides to anyone eligible for the Mass Transportation Benefit Program. “VPSI is already serving 11,000 vanpool groups (nationwide). It’s something we do all the time to help the employees, which of course saves a lot of money,” said Alice Lee-Cook, the VPSI business development executive who initiated the program at WSMR. The program started in 2007 with only three vanpools. After only three years the program has more than quadrupled its growth with 55 vans coming out of El Paso, Las Cruces and Alamogordo. Stacey Hill, program administrator for the mass transportation benefit program at WSMR, said anyone is able to participate in the vanpool program and pay out of pocket. But to be eligible for the incentive program participants must be civilian employees or active duty service members. Participants don’t pay to ride in the vanpool and the program provides the vanpool driver with a monthly voucher to cover the cost of the lease of the van, maintenance and gas. Victor Ońate, one of the first VPSI participants at WSMR, said he is glad the program started at WSMR, because prior to VPSI’s arrival he was paying a membership fee to a non-profit corporation vehicle. Ońate said he was hesitant about the program in the beginning, but all that uncertainty disappeared within a few weeks. “The process is relatively easy and it’s almost done for you,” Ońate said. “I would definitely recommend this program to anyone working at WSMR.” Hill said the program started with 12 people and now has over 500 participants. “Transitioning from your personal vehicle to a vanpool is extremely easy,” Hill said. “You save money and it’s better on the environment.” During a presentation held last month for VPSI participants, Alonzo Moore, chief Transportation Division with the Directorate of Logistics, presented a slide show explaining how vanpools are beneficial to both participants and the community. According to Moore’s figures, riding in a vanpool for an entire year reduces fuel consumption by $1,180,872 or 429,433 gallons. Carbon emissions, which are created through the burning of carbon based fuels, are also reduced by 366,736 tons. Moore went on to explain that if everyone currently riding in a vanpool were to bring in their vehicle on a daily basis there would be greater congestion at the gates and not enough parking spaces. Though riding in a vanpool seems to be the most environmentally friendly choice, most participants are sold on the ease of being driven to and from work in a vehicle that is not their own. “It saves me time and money, and it saves a lot of wear and tear on my personal vehicle,” said Jesus Benitez, a WSMR employee who began participating in the VPSI program in March. Van safety concerns were addressed by Andy Bawden, VPSI safety and loss prevention manager, during a safety meeting for VPSI drivers and alternates June 30. Bawden said most of the accidents reported by WSMR participants are attributed to reversing out of a parking space or to wind damage. No highway accidents have been reported. Bawden also said each van has anti-lock brakes and rollover stability control, which means that the van can stabilize itself at high speeds and sharp turns to avoid a rollover. “In our experience, vanpool drivers are safer drivers than other van drivers,” Bawden said. “It’s up to us to drive our vanpool safely.” For more information on VPSI services please contact Stacey Hill at (575) 678-2555. |
