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October 2006 Update

Commuter Options Continues to Expand-
16 van pools Now Traveling to Suburban Jobs
PUPCO Van
Click here for van pool application (pdf fill-in form)

Commuter Options, a new reverse commute program providing access to suburban jobs for city residents operated by the Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP) is now up to 16 vanpools and is expanding rapidly.

The latest employer being serviced is Quest Diagnostics, a large medical laboratory company that employs hundreds of Philadelphians. Quest employees from the Horsham and Trooper facilities are now using six vans provided by Commuter Options to travel to work saving substantial time off their previous commutes. We are also reaching out to the welfare-to-work population by working with the city’s Earn Centers - the new welfare-to-work programs designed to place former welfare recipients into employment. We have one vanpool serving clients from the West Philadelphia Earn Center and are talking with other North Philadelphia based earn centers to help provide job leads and vans for their clients.

Through our outreach and collaborative efforts we are on target to meet our goal of 20 vanpools for 2006. The project will expand to 30 to 40 pools in 2007. Commuters pay $5 to $6 per day round trip for their transportation in Chrysler Grand Caravans. Employers also provide a subsidy for the transportation. Commuter Options pays for gas and auto insurance for the vehicles. The vans are driven by members of the van pool who are workers at the companies.

Commuter Options Van Pools:

  1. Schramm Manufacturing – 3 riders (2 from West Philadelphia and 1 from Yeadon) going to drilling rig manufacturing jobs in West Chester. They typically work 10-hour days (and some Saturdays) for about $13 an hour.
  2. Service Works – 4 riders from West Philadelphia going to $8-an-hour motor home cleaning jobs in Turnersville, NJ. ServiceWorks focuses on hiring workers with barriers to employment, including ex-offenders.
  3. Synthes – 5 riders from NE Philadelphia going to East Goshen to $12-an-hour (and up) medical manufacturing jobs.
  4. Medical Risk – 3 riders from West Philadelphia going to $12-an-hour medical billing jobs in King of Prussia. These employees have come through a Welfare-to-Work program where they were trained for these positions.
  5. AEGON – 3 riders from NE Philadelphia going to an insurance company print shop, making about $12-an-hour.
  6. The Hartford1 – 4 riders from West Philadelphia going to $12.50-an-hour call center jobs in Ft Washington.
  7. The Hartford2– 3 riders from West Philadelphia going to $12.50-an-hour call center jobs in Ft Washington.
  8. Napoleon Staffing/Unico Group from EDSI West Philadelphia Earn Center. 4 people from West Philly going to clean offices at the Comcast/Cigna Building in Voorhees, NJ. Employees are making about $8 per hour; subcontracted by Unico.
  9. United Seed Production – 4 riders from North Philadelphia go to King of Prussia, with employees making $8 to $16 per hour
  10. American Reading Company of King of Prussia- This company is subsidizing the cost of the ride for its employees to absorb the daily fare they would otherwise have to pay. We currently have one van with 5 riders from West Philadelphia, and expect to add another soon. Employees make $10 to $16 per hour.
  11. Quest Diagnostics Horsham - 5 riders from West Philadelphia. Employees earn $13- $17 per hour.
  12. Quest Diagnostics Trooper1 - 5 people from the Olney and Mt. Airy area of Philadelphia going to Trooper, PA. The employees make an average of about $13-$17 an hour.
  13. Quest Diagnostics Trooper2 - 7 people from Kensington and West Philly going to Trooper, PA. The employees make $13-$17 per hour.
  14. Quest Diagnostics Trooper3 - 6 people from West Philly going to Trooper, PA. The employees make from $13-$17 per hour.
  15. Quest Diagnostics Trooper4- 6 people travel from Upper Darby and West Philadelphia to Trooper, PA They make $13-$17 per hour.
  16. Quest Diagnostics Trooper5- 5 employees from the lower North East going to Trooper. They also make $13-$17 per hour.

As new positions open up PUPCO plans to place more city residents into the open seats in vans commuting to the companies being served.

Commuter Options began in March of 2006 with grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Job Access and Reverse Commute program which U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah was instrumental in securing. Matching grants from the Pennsylvania Department’s of Labor and Industry and Public Welfare have also made the program possible

Philadelphia Unemployment Project 1201 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-557-0822

June 2006 Update

December 2006 Update

 
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