Eric Keerbs knows about challenges. He and wife Kathy have two kids, 12-year-old Danielle and 14-year-old Evan – who has a permanent disability that creates some struggles in life. They chose to live in Battle Ground, Wash., not because of the size of the house or for the country living, but because the school district offers the best care and education for Evan.
Because Keerbs lives outside of the Portland area, he also commutes more than 40 miles a day between his home and Swan Island, where he works as an engineering manager at Daimler Trucks, North America. When traffic backs up on Interstate 5 – which it often does – Keerbs cruises by the others stuck in traffic. How? He is in the carpool lane at the wheel of a vanpool.
Keerbs is the driver and manager of one of the Swan Island vanpools. He set up the route from Vancouver's Orchards area to Swan Island in 2006. Since Keerbs leases the van from C-Tran each month, it is up to him to come up with the payment and the money for gas. He charges riders around $60 to $75 a month, cheaper than the current cost of commuting by car.
Keerbs believes he's saved around $1,600 a year, thanks to the Swan Island Transportation Management Association helping him get the vanpool rolling. The van seats 12, but Keerbs caps the ridership at nine so people don't feel cramped and can stretch out and relax.
Being what he calls an "alter commuter" isn't new for Keerbs. He's been using modes other than driving solo for more than 20 years, since he attended college in Los Angeles and regularly used transit and bike routes."Driving wasn't an option," he says. "You couldn't find parking." After college, Keerbs travel habits continued. When he moved to the Pacific Northwest in the early 1990s, Keerbs carpooled with his wife when they worked in the same area, and also rode transit or biked to work.
Keerbs acknowledges there are some challenges with choosing modes other than driving alone. "Your day isn't as flexible." But, Keerbs is used to overcoming challenges, and focuses on benefits. For him and other vanpool riders, that's cost and convenience.
Right now, Keerbs van is full, with people on a waiting list to join. When ridership does dip, Keerbs easily entices people who may be hesitant to jump on board by giving them a challenge. Try it out for one week - for free. "If they don't find it more enjoyable than driving alone, it hasn't cost them anything," Keerbs says. Only one person who has ever taken him up on his offer chose not to join. The other riders enjoy the convenience of not being behind the wheel at rush hour, happily leaving that task to Keerbs.