Vanpools The new HOV 1 Caroline Karvonen – Leader, Environmental Office

PowerStream Inc Energy company that distributes electricity and provides related services Serve more than 370,000 customers located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario Service area >850 km 2 with a population of approximately 1,000,000 More than 500 employees Over $1 billion in assets Second largest municipally-owned distribution company in Ontario

Service Territory Locations of offices: Barrie Markham Vaughan (Head Office + other) 60 km Barrie  Vaughan 25 km Vaughan  Markham Primarily suburban areas, close to major highways

What is a Vanpool Employer sponsored ‘carpool’ carrying up to 8 employees to and from work Vehicle provided by PowerStream Cost of operations and maintenance covered by participants Cost varies from $80/person/month to >$100 – depending on number of participants, fuel usage, road tolls (407) Automatically deducted from pay cheque 4

Why a vanpool Office relocation/amalgamation 2008 – moved office from Markham to Vaughan 2010 – merged with Barrie Hydro Large number of staff commuting from farther distances Geographic concentration of those people Confirmed through Smart Commute survey Smart Commute North Toronto Vaughan instrumental in establishment

History of vanpools # vans as a pilot – Markham  Vaughan, Barrie  Vaughan PowerStream merged with Barrie Hydro – more staff now commuting 60 km to office Vaughan. 1,2 2011Added 2 nd van Barrie  Vaughan vans from Barrie  Markham4,5 2013launched Whitby  Markham added 1 more from Barrie  Markham6,7 2014Added van to Barrie  Vaughan route. Launched new van from Uxbridge  Markham (almost entirely participant driven) 8,9 9 vans now in operation

Risk Management Have multiple trained drivers Obtain all driver abstracts from MTO Ensure only employees are transported – vehicles only used for commute and business purposes

Risk Management All riders sign a ridership agreement Move to smaller vehicles – all vans will be Honda Odyssey (max 7 riders) Limit riders to 8 in a 9 passenger van this sustains a regular G license level

Individual Benefits Reduced cost of fuel and parking Less wear and tear/depreciation on vehicle Lower insurance rates Less stress from not driving everyday Lower environmental footprint Part of a team

Company Benefits Employee retention Employee engagement Wellness - Lessening stress from driving Media

Some Stats Started with 16 people using vans 59 people use vanpools and +20 occasional riders that rent seats (via Outlook calendars) Each vanpool (on average) saves over 40 tCO 2 e/yr (~360 tCO 2 e/yr) Spurred growth of carpools, which in turn grew vanpool program

Some issues… Collisions – minor invloving van + object (lamp post, underground garage pillar etc) Speeding – all fleet vehicles have GPS installed which we can access to track speeding and verify reported instances (i.e. customers notifying us via Twitter) Vanpool participant issues – people that consistently delay van departure

Issues continued… “Free vehicle” – ensure that it is not used for commute/approved business Staff arriving early/leaving late – reports from Supervisors Vans that don’t start from an office – need to find community/business partners that will allow participants to leave vehicle for the day

Starting a vanpool Best at companies that have a fleet Easier to manage ongoing maintenance Vehicle available for other purposes during the day Begins with survey to determine geographic concentrations of people – need at least 8 people to start discussions

Getting started Meetings! Determine appropriate pickup area – satellite office location, carpool lots, plazas (gain permission if required) Pickup times Help determine logistics – but let the participants work it out Order vehicle Start a greener commute!

Our vanpool future Ideally – more vans! Manage waitlists for permanent seats on several vans Minimal time spent on promotion - employees now provide me with a list of people for their van Included info in New Employee Orientation - increase in riders/temporary riders after these sessions Vanpool remains strong, and will hopefully grow

Thank you More than happy to answer any questions: Caroline Karvonen Leader, Environmental Office PowerStream Inc