Not the same old commute: Save money and the earth through university-sponsored transportation initiatives
Posted 4/1/2009
by Kara Furlong for the Vanderbilt View
photography by Steve Green, Jennifer Priddy and John Russell
When gas prices climbed above $4 per gallon in Middle Tennessee last summer – and her gas costs topped $600 per month – Murfreesboro resident Neena Dixit, a Vanderbilt staff scientist in molecular physiology and biophysics, realized she had to make a change.
Using a ride match Web site sponsored by Vanderbilt Medical Center, Dixit connected with Missy Pankake, a university public affairs officer also eager to cut her commuting costs. The two started a carpool, trading off driving duties every other day. They soon were joined by Ron Reed, a systems support specialist at the medical center, who helped to further reduce their expenses and time behind the wheel each week.
When the three learned that Vanderbilt was organizing a vanpool for their area, they joined up. Reed was tapped to serve as driver, and last November the Murfreesboro/Smyrna vanpool embarked on its maiden commute. By January, the van had reached its capacity of around a dozen dedicated riders.
Dixit, for one, is thrilled. Not only are her monthly gas costs a fraction of what they used to be, but the vanpool has given her an unexpected gift.
“My hands are free, my mind is free, and my ride into work is leisurely now,” she said.
Vanpools are the latest addition to the slate of transportation alternatives being sponsored by Vanderbilt to encourage its large pool of employees to utilize mass transit options and to decrease the number of single-passenger commutes to campus.
Read the complete Vanderbilt View article here. The View's April issue is on stands now or can be read online here.
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