Transportation district to receive $41,600 grant

Public vanpooling may soon be a reality in the county.

A recently formed public transportation district for the county has received a $41,600 grant to partially fund two vans for pooling transportation.

County commissioners learned of the grant award this week in a letter from the state.

Whitman County’s Unincorporated Transportation Benefit Area (UTBA) was formed last October for the purpose of starting a vanpooling program.

Commissioner Pat O’Neill said COAST formed the program with an eye on creating a vanpooling route from the Garfield/Palouse area south to WSU and Schweitzer Engineering in Pullman. Both have many employees living in Garfield and Palouse.

He cautioned that UTBA will only purchase the vans if they are certain they will have enough riders for their route.

“If we don’t get the ridership we’re not going to buy the vehicles,” O’Neill said. “I can tell you right now it’s all going to be tied to what that gas pump says.”

In their 2009 to 2011 transportation budget, the Washington state legislature set aside extra funds for the state Public Transportation Division to fund vanpools.

The Vanpool Investment Program provided funds for 377 vans around the state this year, according to Shamus Misek, ride share program manager with the state department of transportation.

“It’s only to be used for vanpooling,” Misek said in an interview with the Gazette.

The grant will fund up to 80 percent of each van, for a total of $20,800 each. UTBA will be responsible for the remaining 20 percent of the price.