Islanders in need of a lift will soon have a new way to get around: a community van.
The van program is a partnership between the Vashon Maury Island Chamber of Commerce and King County Metro that includes a community transit coordinator and a small transportation hub at the chamber’s office. The van, which will be driven by volunteer drivers, can be used by groups of two or more passengers wanting to get to most any island destination — be it the grocery store, the ferry dock, the Farmers Market or the food bank. Transportation coordinator Janet Welt said she will also try to accommodate individual riders seeking trips and connect them to other transportation services if necessary.
The program stems from work that began on Vashon in 2015 to provide more transportation options in addition to the fixed-route bus service. At the time, a group of islanders met regularly with King County transit officials to evaluate islanders’ transportation needs and develop solutions to meet them.
Originally, county officials hoped to have services in place by the summer of 2016. While that time frame was not met, all those involved say they are excited the program is now in place and are pleased with the progress so far. Welt was hired earlier this month as the community transportation coordinator, and last week she expressed enthusiasm for her new position and linking people to transportation when they need it.
“This job is like being Santa Claus,” she said.
During the month of November, rides will be free. Following that, the cost of roundtrips will be $2.50, the price of a standard Metro fare. If someone needs only one-way service, the cost would be the same. Riders will be able to pay in a variety of ways, through mobile ticketing, from a pass on an Orca Card or with a paper ticket available through the chamber. Drivers travel for free.
The van is slated to make its first trips this week, and Welt is looking to schedule others. Trips can be one-time only or recurring. People who want a ride can look online to see already scheduled trips at communityvan.com, or they can contact Welt to request a trip. A member of a group can drive — as long as they are an approved volunteer — or Welt will arrange for a volunteer driver. Welt, who says she is a publicist by “trade and by nature,” has recruited eight drivers, with plans to recruit several others.
She noted that the van is not like a taxi service, and that riders are grouped for trips as much as possible. If someone needs a ride individually, Welt said she will see if a scheduled trip could accommodate that person or try to find others who also need a ride to join in. She may also point them to services such as Hopelink, Metro’s Access services, Vashon Senior Center’s transportation services or local Uber drivers.
Originally, the vans were intended to stay on the island, but that has changed, and while the service is getting underway, off-island trips will be allowed.
“Metro is allowing us the flexibility and ability to tailor the program to work with the community’s unique needs,” Welt said.
Jim Marsh, the chamber’s executive director, said that there is only one van on the island currently, but the plan is to have three — two in service and one as a back up. They are new wheel-chair accessible Dodge Caravans able to carry up to five passengers and equipped with ramps to accommodate up to 800 pounds.
Marsh noted the chamber routinely fields inquiries about transportation and believes the organization is the ideal fit to partner with Metro for these services — and welcomes public input.
“As always, I am open to hearing from people about what they want and need,” he said.
At the county, Metro’s Cathy Snow, who heads the Alternative Services Program, noted that in this partnership, the chamber hires the community transit coordinator and oversees and supports that person’s work. The county provides the vehicles, and pays for the maintenance, gas and insurance, as well as the salary for the transit coordinator.
Another addition to Vashon’s transportation option is expected to be launched in the weeks ahead, a program called Real-Time Rideshare, which is an informal carpooling option that matches riders and drivers via the smartphone app iCarpool.
Snow said she expects to introduce that program before the year ends.
In addition to providing transportation to islanders who need it, Marsh said he is pleased that the county has agreed to let the vans be used during special events, such as the Strawberry Festival and the sheepdog trials.
The van program is part of a two-year pilot that goes through 2018, but Snow said she expects if it is successful, it will move into a regular program of Metro Connects to provide ongoing service.
Providing this type of service is new for the county. Metro previously launched a van service in Duvall that recently was on hiatus because of staffing changes. It re-launched in September, and shortly before that, Metro added an additional community van program in Bothell/Woodinville.
While the programs are new, Snow said Metro officials will collect baseline data for three months and then, based on that information, set performance targets.
To that end, Welt stresses the importance of people using the service in the weeks and months ahead.
“It is really dependant on the community using it to keep it in the community,” she said.
For more information about the community van project, contact Janet Welt at 206-773-7003 or CTC@vashonchamber.com. Her office hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays.
The website communityvan.com also includes an overview of the program and the application for volunteer drivers.
This version of the story was updated with revised information, indicating that rides off-island will be allowed and that both vans serving the community will be wheel-chair accessible and able to carry up to five passengers.
