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News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:
Oct. 9, 2006
Flexcar and King County team up to make transportation
affordable in White Center
Flexcar and King County
Metro Transit today announced
the expansion of their innovative Job Access program to the White Center
neighborhood. The collaborative program helps people secure employment
by providing easy and affordable access to Flexcar vehicles for
training, education and interviews, and then connecting them with bus
service to commute to their new jobs.
Metro partnered with Flexcar two years ago to make many of its vehicles
available for hourly use at significant savings for qualified
individuals – typically people who receive public assistance or who are
enrolled in employment training or other related programs. In addition
to White Center, the program has been serving downtown Seattle, Belltown,
First Hill, Capitol Hill and Renton. Plans for the coming year are to
extend the program, which receives federal grant support, to other areas
including Rainier Valley, Northgate, Ballard, the Crossroads area of
Bellevue, and possibly the University District.
In these programs, Flexcar fills the gap for travel to locations that
are not conveniently served via Metro, or for trips for which a vehicle
is more practical, such as food shopping. In an average month, more than
1,300 trips are taken by Job Access program participants, including a
mix of job-related trips and trips for other basic needs, such as
shopping, medical needs, child care, etc.
"With 221 routes covering more than 2,134, Metro takes most people where
they want to go," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "To supplement
Metro's service, Flexcar is a convenient, cost-effective and
environmentally friendly way to help people reach locations Metro may
not serve. Through Metro and Flexcar we are connecting people with
economic opportunity."
Participants credit the program for helping them to land a job. Bridgett
Chandler, whose car “died” just as she found herself out of a job, used
the program to help her get to job interviews. “The availability of
Flexcar vehicles was an incredible relief at a time I needed reliable
transportation to travel from Seattle to various locations for
interviews,” she said.
Transportation is key to employment, both in the job-seeking process and
once employed. But for many King County residents, vehicle ownership is
cost-prohibitive. As a result, they are literally not able to access
employment opportunities, particularly as the region’s job market is
less and less centralized. The Flexcar Job Access Program complements
the existing Metro Transit network, allowing participants to take
advantage of the benefits of both public transit and Flexcar. In doing
so, they are able to keep their overall transportation costs low,
without sacrificing the mobility needed in today’s world.
“The Flexcar Job Access program has literally been the difference for
many people in getting a job or remaining unemployed,” said Jamie
Cheney, general manager of Flexcar’s Seattle office. “Flexcar helps
people land a job, then Metro helps them get to the job.
“In that sense, this program is about more than just transportation.
It’s about hope. It’s about helping people get back on their feet. We’re
thrilled to be able to expand it to reach even more people,” she said.
For eligible residents, there is no cost to join Flexcar Job Access, and
job-related trips are only $3 per hour, which includes gas, insurance,
unlimited miles and 24/7 emergency service. All other trips are only $5
per hour. Information on the program is available online at
www.flexcar.com/jobaccess
or by phone at 206-726-2804.
METRO: King County Metro Transit is among the 10 largest bus systems in
the nation. Metro buses provide almost 100 million passenger trips a
year, and the agency operates one of the largest carpool and
park-and-ride programs in the country. It is also recognized as a leader
in reducing pollution with its use of clean-burning fuels, electric
trolleys, and hybrid buses. Metro customers consistently give the agency
high marks for friendly, on-time service.
FLEXCAR: Flexcar founded the U.S. car-sharing industry and now operates
car-sharing programs for tens of thousands of members in eight
metropolitan areas, covering nearly 40 cities in seven states and the
District of Columbia. With flexible pricing plans, members can reserve
and drive any of these cars whenever and wherever they need to, without
filling out complicated paperwork, paying for insurance, gas or repairs.
Flexcar Business Memberships enable companies to augment or replace
their fleet with Flexcar vehicles. Flexcar's fleet includes sedans,
gas-electric hybrids, and specialty vehicles including pickups, AWD,
minivans and convertibles. Flexcar is a portfolio company of Revolution
Living, the lifestyle-oriented investment firm founded by AOL co-founder
Steve Case. |
