Happy 40th Vanniversary, Washington State!

Governor Jay Inslee declared July 2019 to be Vanpool Month, marking the 40th year of vanpool
programs in the state.

Washington’s vanpools were actually the USA’s first; 40 years later, Community Transit’s program includes the 11th largest vanpool fleet in the country. (See below for more interesting vanpool statistics.)

Our program began operations in 1986 with all groups going to Boeing.

A van from Community Transit's original vanpool fleet, 1986.

By 1992, we had 45 vanpool groups on the road.

Vans from various agencies gathered at the Key Arena for the statewide 20th Vanniversary, 1999.

Community Transit's 100th and 300th vanpool groups, dates unknown.

This February, we officially reached 400 vanpool groups, serving 2,835 people that average 48 round-trip miles per day.

A team of five Vanpool Fleet Coordinators work with the groups, processing payments, training drivers, and coordinating scheduled -- and unscheduled -- maintenance needs. The vans’ insurance, gasoline, and maintenance are all provided by Community Transit.

A Vanpool Fleet Coordinator checks in a van brought in for routine maintenance, July 2019.

Customer feedback is an important part of the vanpool program; customer input even helps to choose which new vans to purchase!

Insight being gathered from vanpool customers now will help decide how to best serve customers of the future. Commuting in and through Snohomish County will change significantly in the next 5-10 years and our Vanpool program will be there, continuing to help people get where they want to be.

Happy Vanniversary... here's to another 40 successful years!