Councilmember Kohl-Welles to donate surplus vanpool vans to organizations in District 4

July 24, 2018

Summary

“These vans have a lot of miles left in them and it is heartening to know that they will be put to good use by organizations that help those in need and make our community a better place to live”

Story

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles announced today that four organizations in Council District 4 will receive retired Metro Transit Vanpool vans to provide transportation assistance to for low-income, elderly or young people or people with disabilities.

“These vans have a lot of miles left in them and it is heartening to know that they will be put to good use by organizations that help those in need and make our community a better place to live,” said Kohl-Welles. “Many in our community are hurting and sometimes finding a way to assist those organizations that help them can seem daunting and overwhelming. The van donation program reminds us that even little actions can make a big difference.”

The organizations receiving vans this year are:

• Cascade Women's Program (Compass Housing Alliance),
• Small Faces Child Development Center,
• Soccer Without Borders,
• United Indians of All Tribes Foundation

The vanpool program provides mobility for a diverse array of King County residents, supports the positive work of various local organizations, and relieves traffic congestion by reducing the need for single-occupancy vehicles.

Governments, agencies and organizations that receive the vans must meet specific requirements:

• Capacity to support ongoing van operation, including assured funding for licensing, insuring, fueling and maintaining the van;
• Ability to provide qualified and trained drivers;
• Specific plans for use of the van to transport low-income, elderly or young people or people with disabilities, and assurance that the use shall be available to those persons without regard to affiliation with any particular organization;
• Ability to support county's public transportation function by reducing single occupancy vehicle trips, pollution and traffic congestion; supplementing services provided by the county's paratransit system and increasing the mobility for the transit-dependent for whom regular transit might not always be a convenient option.

Interested organizations can contact Councilmember Kohl-Welles for more information on applying for a vehicle.