SPU Vanpools and Vanshares

Vanpool Group Photo

Cut your commute costs, breeze by traffic in the carpool lane, reduce drive-alone stress and help keep our air cleaner by joining an SPU Metro Vanpool.

Join an existing group or start your own — five members gets you on the road! Everything is covered by SPU's trip reduction program including the van, gas, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance, bridge toll, campus parking, and a guaranteed ride home.

What is the difference between a vanpool and vanshare?
Commuters who ride in a vanpool commute to a designated park and ride by car, whereas, commuters who ride in a vanshare, commute by train, bus or ferry then meet the vanshare at a designated garage in downtown Seattle. From there, they commute to campus with other SPU employees.

Vanpool and Vanshares

Currently, there are six vanpools/vanshares coming to and from SPU’s campus. They include:

NORTH SEATTLE/MOUNTLAKE TERRACE VANPOOL (#3624)
Meet up location: Mountlake Terrace Park-and-Ride, 6001 236th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace
Meet up time: 7:15 AM
Leave SPU: 4:30 PM
Contact: Christina Traverso, traversoc@spu.edu

NORTH SEATTLE/LYNNWOOD VANPOOL (#3665)
Meet up location:
Ashway Park-and-Ride, 16327 Ash Way, Lynnwood
Meet up time: 6:40 AM
Leave SPU: 4:35 PM
Contact: Eloise Olivar, eolivar@spu.edu

EASTSIDE VANPOOL  (#4465) (crossing the 520 bridge)
Meet up location: South Kirkland Park-and-Ride, 10610 NE 38th Pl, Kirkland
Meet up time: 7:05 AM
Leave SPU: 4:35 PM
Contact: Lynn Anselmi, lynnanselmi@spu.edu

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE VANSHARE (#250774)
Meet up location:
King Street parking garage
Meet up time: 7:15-7:20 AM
Leave SPU: 4:15 PM
Contact: Teresa Lewis, tlewis7@spu.edu

 

Current vanpool/vanshares don’t work for you? Start one in your area.

A new vanpool or vanshare can be registered with King County Metro. A minimum of three riders per van is required. Contact Transportation@spu.edu for more information. 

Can't ride full time?

That’s okay. As long as there’s room in the van, you can ride as many or as few days per week as you’d like. Should you need to drive in, each quarter you’ll receive five single-day parking passes to park in a commuter lot on campus. If you think you’ll need to drive in more frequently, you can purchase a parking pass through Safety and Security at a rate of $35.00/month for a total of $315.00/year.

More Information

Cost for an SPU employee to ride in a vanpool/vanshare.
$25 per year for an Orca card... that’s it!

For more information.
Contact the Transportation Manager at 206-281-2821 or transportation@spu.edu

Fill out our vanpool questionnaire below to get connected to other employees that want to share the commute.

Lynn and Vanpool

"Riding in a Metro vanpool has been a huge blessing! Not only have I made some new friends from other offices, but I save close to $340 per month and I’ve kept 28,000 miles off my car. It is so worth it!”

-Lynn Anselmi
University Communications
Eastside Vanpool

Benefits of riding in a vanpool/vanshare

  • Save money! — you don’t pay for gas, tolls, campus parking, or maintenance
  • Find community — get to know other SPU employees from various offices around campus
  • Get home faster­ — carpool lanes really do make a difference
  • Less stress — let someone else do the driving 
  • Have a consistent schedule — no more working later than planned
  • Save on wear and tear on your car — fewer miles means more value in your car
  • Less pollution — fewer cars on the road means less CO2 in the air. It’s just better for our environment!