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Ridesharing at March provides door to door service

  • Published
  • By Megan Just
  • 452 AMW Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  Each morning at March, 25 white passenger vans make the pilgrimage through the base's front gate from cities throughout Southern California. At the end of the workday, the parked vans come alive, dominating the quiet streets as they circle the base, providing front-door pick up service for their riders.

Once on the interstates, the vans glide left until they reach the carpool lane, where they enjoy traveling the speed limit even during rush hour. For the vanpool riders who are not reading, sleeping, or otherwise occupied in conversation, spotting other Team March members stuck in traffic gridlock can become somewhat of a sport.

"They should join the vanpool," a wise rider might say with a cluck of her tongue.

"Ha ha! Sucker!" a younger rider might call out with a gloating wave as the van flies by.

Southern California's Rideshare Week is coming up Oct. 3-7 and it is a perfect opportunity for non-ridesharers to see why more than 230 March service members and employees are already members of the base's white van club.

"I encourage everyone to participate in this year's Rideshare Week," said Col. Mary Aldrian, 452nd Air Mobility Wing commander. "We are fortunate to have such a robust rideshare program on base and this is a great time for people to give it a try and see if it might work with their schedule and lifestyle."

When possible, Aldrian encourages supervisors to make accommodations in workers' schedules to enable them to rideshare.

"The base is one of the largest employers in Riverside County and our Air Reserve Technicians and civilian employees commute daily from as far away as San Diego and Victorville," Aldrian said. "If everyone does their part, we can make a big difference in reducing air pollution and traffic congestion in our community."

During Rideshare Week, the Riverside County Transportation Commission and San Bernardino Associated Governments have teamed up to give extra ridesharing incentives to Southern California commuters. This year, there are more than 140 donated prizes that range from $250 grocery gift cards to an Apple iPad.

To be eligible to enter the drawing for prizes, participants must use an alternate form of transportation to work at least one time during the week and submit a pledge card to Paul Pitman, 452nd Air Mobility Wing air quality manager and rideshare coordinator. Pitman will also give a reusable grocery bag to each March Rideshare Week participant.

Alternative forms of transportation include vanpooling, teleworking, carpooling, bicycling, walking or using public transportation. Current March ridesharers are eligible to enter the drawing as well, but they are still required to submit a pledge card to Pitman.

WHAT IT TAKES TO RIDESHARE
According to Paul Pitman, who has been running the rideshare program at March for five years, one of the reasons some Team March members are hesitant to start carpooling or vanpooling is because they feel like they have to give up an element of personal freedom.

While it's true that you cannot blast your music as loud as you like while riding in a vanpool, there are lots of work-arounds for other concerns. What most new vanpoolers don't understand is that vanpoolers are free to drive to the base on their own whenever they need to, and they do not have to excuse their absence ahead of time.

"If you show up at the meeting spot, you ride," Pitman said.

Several of the vanpools cater to alternate work schedules and shift work. Another concern of prospective ridesharers is the possibly of having to stay late at work or needing to leave unexpectedly during the day. This concern is eased by the Guaranteed Ride Home program.

"You just call me and I send a taxi to your office door to pick you up and take you home," Pitman said. "It's completely free up to 150 miles."

Defense Department and local government programs subsidize the cost of ridesharing, and in exchange for a few sacrifices in personal freedom, vanpoolers enjoy thousands of dollars of savings in fuel and vehicle maintenance costs.

"In all cases at March, the government vouchers completely cover the vanpool's operating costs," Pitman said.

Vanpoolers and other users of alternative transportation also have the potential to save the base up to $60,000 in South Coast Air Quality Management District emission offset fees.

To arrange a trial ride in a March vanpool during Rideshare Week, contact Pitman at 951-655-5062. The deadline to submit Rideshare Week pledge cards is Oct. 14. They can be submitted in person (Bldg. 2403), by fax (951-655-2573), by email (paul.pitman@us.af.mil) or online at IE511.org.

Keep up with what's going on at March through the base website, Facebook and Twitter.