What do you think, Do you Know folks that could use this?? 25 car and van pools bridging the transportation gap between Philadelphians and suburban employers


The Commuter Options program continues to move ahead providing transportation services to Philadelphians traveling to suburban employment. Commuter Options has been operating a little less than 18 months and we now have 25 car and van pools in service with 120 city workers commuting each day to their suburban jobs. We are providing needed transportation to existing workers, making their reverse commutes easier and helping to transport newly hired welfare to work participants, ex-offenders and other inner city workers who have become employed or reemployed with the help of Commuter Options.

We have begun to assist suburban employers with new hires, including one Montgomery County meat packing facility with 30 new employees, including many ex-offenders.
The nearest transportation hub to the plant is nearly five miles away.

Working with Philadelphia based EARN Centers (welfare to work programs), we have also been able to get welfare recipients to decent paying jobs that they could have never reached without the program. In the past several months we have begun to add sedans to our fleet of mini vans, as some of our pools do not to require a mini van due to their size.

Below is a list of the employers currently utilizing the Commuter Options.



Commuter Options Van Pools:
Jobs1 USA – 2 vanpools. Positions include welders, machinists, and general laborers who are paid between $9 to $16 per hour

6 riders from Kensington and Frankford going to the U-Haul facility in Fairless Hills.
4 riders from West Philadelphia and Hunting Park share a van to go to Fall Manufacturing from 6a.m. until 2p.m.




Synthes – 3 vanpools. – Medical manufacturing facility where jobs pay $12/hr. and up.

4 riders from NE Philadelphia going to East Goshen
4 riders from NE Philadelphia going to East Goshen.
3 riders from NE Philadelphia going to East Goshen.
Quest Diagnostics –5 vanpools at two locations performing duties at the billing office and in data entry at a laboratory facility in Montgomery County. Workers make $13 to $17 per hour.

3 riders from West Philadelphia going to Quest’s main center in Horsham, PA.
2 riders from Kensington and West Philly going to Trooper Road in Norristown.
3 riders from West Philly to the Trooper, Road, Norristown location.
4 riders from Upper Darby and West Philadelphia to Trooper Road, Norristown
4 riders from the Olney section of the city traveling to the Trooper Road in Norristown.


The Hartford – 6 riders from West Philadelphia (and one who rides from the Ft. Washington train station) going to a 2nd shift call center in Ft. Washington making $12.50 per hour.

United Seed Production – 4 riders making $8 to $16/hour from North Philadelphia going to King of Prussia, PA.

Rite Aid Pharmaceutical – 2 van pools made up of riders from North Philadelphia making $9.60/hour.

7 people from People for People Ridge Earn Center (welfare-to-work program) in North Philadelphia commute to Fairless Hills.
4 people from People for People working second shift traveling to Brooks.


Host – 3 riders from North Philadelphia to service the PA Turnpike at Valley Forge (2nd shift) to perform custodial and food service duties. The starting wage is $8.50 per hour. These commuters are also from the People for People Ridge Earn Center (welfare-to-work program).

Gamesa Wind- 1 vanpool of 4 riders working on second shift. These commuters traveling to work in Fairless Hills where there is no public transportation. The starting wage is $12.50 per hour and the workers were recruited from a Philadelphia job training program (ITTI).

Apple One/McGraw Hill- 3 vans with a starting wage of $9.00 per hour are taking Philadelphians to this publishing house in Delran, NJ.

The second shift (4:30 pm. To 1:30 a.m.) has 4 riders recruited primarily through the PUP Jobs Club.
A pool of 5 women from the Northeast Earn Center, operated by JEVS, are traveling to McGraw-Hill for the first shift. Two women from People for People EARN Center are sharing this van with the women from JEVS making a total of 7.
Seven women representing two North Philadelphia EARN centers clients The driver is from the KRA EARN Center and drives 6 women from People for People.
Moyer Packing/Smithfield Meats- 6 vans are currently transporting workers from Philadelphia to this Souderton, PA meat packing plant. The employees are all working first shift with a starting wage of $9.00/hour.

7 riders from South West and West Philadelphia commute together to work each day.
6 riders from the North Philadelphia and Frankford area travel to Souderton daily.
7 riders from North Philadelphia travel to work each day.
6 riders from the Frankford and Kensington areas of Philadelphia rider together to work.
6 riders from the North Philadelphia and Germantown area working together.
6 riders from North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia meet together.


Philadelphia Unemployment Project’s Commuter Options 1201 Chestnut St. Room 702 Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-557-0822 www.Philaup.org


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MISSION STATEMENT

Philadelphia Unemployment Project Commuter Options offers a solution for commuters needing to go where transit doesn’t. PUP makes available minivans for Delaware Valley commuters who want convenient, safe access to otherwise unreachable jobs.

HOW DO I START A VANPOOL?

It takes at least four commuters (including the driver and backup driver) to start a vanpool. Our minivans seat up to seven commuters.

At least one and preferably two commuters in a pool must be 23 years or older, have a standard, clean (going back three years) Class C driver's license and will drive the minivan and take it home at night. Also, the driver will be responsible for taking the van for routine cleaning and service.

PUP pays for all gas, maintenance, and insurance, and will arrange replacement or emergency transportation for commuters.

Pools can travel almost anywhere within about an hour's radius of Center City. For specific origins and destinations, call Will at 215-557-0822.

All potential commutes will be looked at considering existing transit options, and commuters will be referred to transit routes if they run nearby at convenient times.

If you have enough commuters for a pool and a couple qualified drivers, call Will at PUP today at 215-557-0822 to get started.

HOW DO I GET INTO AN EXISTING VANPOOL?

Click here for van pool application (pdf fill-in form)


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Press Coverage

City-to-burbs commuter service grows