Mission: Votran’s mission is to identify and safely meet the mobility needs of Volusia County. This mission will be accomplished through a courteous, dependable, cost effective and environmentally sound team commitment to quality service.

Save gas and get green with Votran.

Every day, Americans are more concerned about being good “green” citizens.. We pay more attention paid to our environment and its preservation. Everyone wants to be more efficient, save money and save our environment.

As gas prices continue to soar, Votran’s Commuter Assistance program is saving commuters money and alleviating traffic congestion one mile at a time.

The Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) is an umbrella term for the alternative transportation programs Votran provides. Its purpose is to provide commuting alternatives for the driving public to reduce the number of vehicles on the highways. It’s a service that the nearly 35,000 Volusia County residents who commute to work in Seminole, Orange and Brevard Counties can use.

Last year local van pool commuters saved $1,651,398 in commuting costs, 137,616 gallons of gas, 3,440,412 miles on their personal vehicles, and eliminated over 84,350 trips from the road.

According to a survey of the Votran Park & Ride Lot users, 96 percent travel to work and the average commute distance is nearly 32 miles one way.

"Commuting to work with other people is becoming a necessity,” said Votran General Manager Lois Bollenback. “Whether it's in a van pool, carpool or on a bus, sharing a ride is good for the environment, it helps reduce the reliance on foreign oil, it reduces congestion on the roadways and it saves money for the participants."

"With rising gas prices and increased awareness of greenhouse gas emissions,” Bollenback added, “more and more people are beginning to recognize the benefits of sharing a ride to work."

Votran created the Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) to get residents of Volusia County to and from work effortlessly and economically. Imagine, getting to work relaxed and refreshed and coming home in a good mood.

The CAP offers four ways to beat the commuting blues; RideShare, Park & Ride, Van Pooling and the I-4 Express Bus. The Commuter Assistance Program is good for commuters and the environment, helping to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution while cutting commuting costs.

"There are so many benefits associated with ridesharing,” said Bollenback. “The real question is why aren't more people doing it today? It saves money, it helps the environment, it reduces traffic congestion and with Votran, you have a guaranteed ride home if you need it."

“Embracing public transportation at the local level is an important first step toward energy independence and protecting the environment,” said Millar. “We are working with Congress because increased investment in, and use of, public transportation are among the more powerful energy independence solutions.”

Votran’s RideShare program helps to match commuters with similar travel origins and destinations who are interested in carpooling or sharing a ride with each other.
Recently, the rideshare program went online. Commuters can register at www.votran.org for RideShare matching. The benefit of registering through the Votran program is the Guaranteed Ride Home benefit. The service also offers a guaranteed ride home in the event of an emergency. The commuter’s taxi fare is picked up by the transit agency if there is an emergency that calls the commuter home.

Votran often offers support to commuters who look to rideshare through their employer. Staff provides information on the benefits – from fuel savings to tax benefits to tips on matching – to employers and employees. Commuters end up carpooling on their own as a result.

For more information on any Commuter Assistance Program, please call 866-610-RIDE (7433). Commuters can call from work or home without incurring long distance charges to learn about commuting options. When commuters call, they can connect with the correct transit agency in the district five area: Votran, Lynx, or Space Coast area transit.

The most energy-efficient households in America that produce the least amount of carbon are within close proximity of a bus or rail line. The people in those households drive an average of 4,400 fewer miles annually as compared to persons in similar households with no access to public transit, according to a study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

• The study, “Broadening the Connection between Public Transportation and Energy Conservation” was prepared for APTA by ICF International. It also finds that:
• Communities who choose to invest in public transportation reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually, equivalent to the electricity used by 4.9 million households. To achieve a similar reduction in carbon emissions, every household in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles combined would have to completely stop using electricity.
• This “leverage effect” of public transportation, supporting efficient land use patterns saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline – more than three times the amount of gasoline refined from the oil we import from Kuwait.

“Investing in public transportation is one of the more effective ways to combat global climate change and conserve energy,” said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association. “Public transit encourages more compact development and greater personal choice in how people travel. People have closer access to jobs and shopping and more trips can be made on foot, by bike or just a short car ride.”
People living in households near public transit travel 12 fewer miles per day which is 27 percent less than persons in households with no access to public transit according to the study. This equates to an individual household reduction of 223 gallons of gasoline a year.
Between 1982 and 2006, vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. have increased by 47 percent per person from an average of 6,800 miles per year to almost 10,000 miles per year. U.S. greenhouse gases from transportation represents 33 percent of the total and autos and light trucks are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions from mobile sources.
To view the full APTA report, click here.

APTA is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 member organizations including public transportation systems; planning, design, construction and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; and state associations and departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical public transportation services and products. APTA members serve more than 90 percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada.