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U-PASS Profiles

Carpooling: Profile

(originally published in the Fall 2003 U-Commute News)

Brian Anderson, Fiscal Specialist, Property and Transport Services & Mike Anderson, Program Support Supervisor, Surplus Property

When Brian Anderson began working as a fiscal specialist in Property and Transport Services in 1994 after retiring after 18 years in the Air Force, he made the round trip drive from his home in Kent alone. "It took me a minimum of 45 minutes each way," Brian recalls.

Now Brian makes the 28-mile drive in approximately 30 minutes, traveling with three others and using the HOV lanes. After driving alone for six years, Brian began sharing the ride with co-worker Mike Anderson (no relation), who lives less than two miles from Brian's home in Kent. Newer additions to the carpool are Brian's 19-year-old son Jason, and temporary UW employee Christina Daniel, who will ride with the group until October.

Brian feels that carpooling is a big improvement over driving alone. "Time is very important to me. I always have so many things to do," he says. Carpooling has cut his commute time by one-third, shrinking a 45-minute drive-alone commute to 30 minutes. In addition to the invaluable time savings, Brian cites the substantial cost savings of carpooling‹less money spent on gas, less wear and tear on the car, and no charge for carpool parking beyond the cost of the U-PASS. He enjoys having company and an extra set of eyes to look out for traffic hazards.

If each member of this carpool group drove alone, they would collectively pay $3,141 per year in parking fees, plus the expense of gas and wear on their personal vehicles. As carpoolers, each pays $196 per year for their U-PASS, plus $2.36 per day for parking on the occasional days they drive in alone.

Brian's co-worker Mike Anderson, program support supervisor in Surplus Property, is a long-time carpooler. He commuted in a carpool from West Seattle for years, then formed a new carpool with Brian when he and his family moved to Kent. Mike enjoys carpooling because it is much easier than driving alone and he says it works smoothly when you commute with people you get along with. The group usually tunes in to sports radio on the drive, and Mike and Brian - both avid golfers and baseball fans - get a chance to trade notes on professional golf and baseball. The trips are usually pretty quiet, "since we see each other during the day at work and we actually don't talk much on the drive," Mike says.

Like Brian, Mike cites the time savings of the HOV lanes, especially for bypassing the traffic on I-5 from the Convention Center south. To further streamline the commute, Brian consults the state's Department of Transportation website: www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/cameras/ before the carpool heads home. This site lists major events impacting traffic, shows camera shots of key traffic points, and displays an area map with roadways rated from "Stop and Go" to "Wide Open". The carpool group varies its route between I-5 south and Highway 99 based on traffic conditions.

Brian says his carpool partners take infrequent deviations from routine in stride. For example, they had to take a recent side trip to pick up the family dog from his parents' house. He says he feels comfortable knowing that, when necessary, he can drive alone. When driving alone, he pays for parking on a per-use basis in the West Campus Garage. Brian participates in the Pay-Per-Use-Parking (PPUP) program in the West Campus Garage, implemented in 2002, which utilizes the Husky Card for access and charges for occasional individual parking at a rate equivalent to the cost of a U-PASS discounted Individual Commuter ticket, in his case $2.36 per day.

To learn more about carpooling to campus, go online to http://www.washington.edu/upass/getting_here/share_ride_carpool.html

Brian & Mike's carpool TIPS:

  1. Be flexible.
  2. Vary route based on traffic conditions. Check the WSDOT website to plan the fastest route home, www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/cameras/
  3. Use HOV lanes.
  4. Carpool with someone you got along well with. Ask around. Often there are people in your office you can carpool with, or find someone through the free regional Ridematch service at www.rideshareonline.com or 888.814.1300. You'll be sent contact information for people who share the same schedule.