The Vanpool Voyager: Eva Ramirez
“It’s hard to choose just one thing I like about vanpooling. I just love everything about it.”
Since 2016, Eva Ramirez (center) and her co-workers have enjoyed riding to work together in the Grounds department at Stanford.
A Call to Savings
It started with an email. When the Commute Club announced the 100% vanpool subsidy in a direct email to Commute Club members, Eva Ramirez couldn’t resist.
She was already a Commute Club member and had a regular routine with two of her co-workers. They would drive their trucks—hauling their bikes—to the San Jose Diridon Caltrain station. They would pay to park, ride the train to the California Avenue station, then ride their bikes to campus.
“The Caltrain commute was a good situation for us,” Chris Morgan says, “but vanpooling really blew that commute out of the park!”
Early Start and Doughnut Competition
More than a year since its founding, Eva’s vanpool is thriving. Eva, Chris, and Jose Bucio have been joined by Joe Riggs, Louis Torres, and Ismael Hernandez.
The van leaves San Jose around 4:30 a.m. each day. The early start enables the riders to get to work early to spend some time with colleagues and drink coffee.
“Being in a vanpool has encouraged me to be on time,” Louis says. “I don’t want to let anyone in my vanpool down.”
Even more motivation to keep up? The last person to get to the van on Thursday afternoon owes everyone doughnuts on Friday morning.
Pool Party
Each member of the vanpool has a different reason for choosing this commute, whether it’s trying to reduce their carbon footprint, enjoying the camaraderie, or just saving money with the vanpool subsidy and up to $300 a year in Clean Air Cash.
There’s one thing they can agree on: The only thing better than a stress-free commute is a stress-free commute in good company!
Looking for New Members
“There have been a lot of people who wanted to join our vanpool. I told them, ‘We only have one space left; you should start your own!’” Eva says.
Eva’s vanpool is full, but there are other vanpools with open seats. See listings on our Current Vanpools page.
The Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley Vanpool, in particular, has more than one space available, arriving at Jane Stanford Way and Galvez Street at 6:45 a.m., and departing at 3:50 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about this vanpool, contact Regina Roberts at 831.251.5700 or Gil Ramirez at 650.493.500 x22918.
The San Francisco (West Portal) Vanpool is also looking for members. It arrives at Duena Street and Panama Mall at 7:30 a.m., and departs at 4:30 p.m. Contact the Commute Club at 650.736.9923 for more information.
Join the fun!
- Find others to share your commute with Scoop. Sign up with your Stanford email address and use code STANFORDU05 to get $5 towards the cost of your commute.
- Request commute planning assistance to see explore your sustainable commuting options.
- Join the Commute Club to take advantage of incentives, including Clean Air Cash and prize drawings.