VA Portland Employees Explore Commuting Options as They Return to the Office
As VA Portland employees return to the office, many are exploring different options to satisfy their commuting needs.
Several options range from utilizing public transportation such as TriMet in Oregon and C-TRAN in Southwest Washington, to vanpools, carpools and even biking to work.
In this publication, I hope to present readers with options that might meet their individual commuting needs.
Public Transportation
TriMet is able to help you plan your commute options, commute planning and provide enrollment for Reduced -Fare Hop Cards for those with Military Status. For more information, visit https://trimet.org/home/menu.
Veterans, active-duty members of the military or reservists, qualify to use TriMet’s Reduced Honored Citizen Fare. For those who qualify to apply for the reduced fare please have the following documents.
• Government-issued photo ID
• To verify your military status, be prepared to show one of the following:
-Common Access Card (CAC) for active-duty military
-Uniformed Services ID card or driver’s license with veteran classification
-Copy of DD214 Certificate of Release/Discharge from Active Duty and photo ID
Public transportation throughout SW Washington, and into some parts of the Portland Metro area are provided by C-TRAN. Based in Washington State, the agency provides some assistance for those who live in Washington for providing commute planning, and options for their various services throughout SW Washington. To learn more, visit https://www.c-tran.com.
C-TRAN also has a program for Veterans and Military service members C-TRAN Heros. The Heros Pass provides free, local C-TRAN service throughout Clark County, including The Current. To qualify, you must have one of the following pieces of ID.
• Veterans Affairs Photo ID card
• Common Access Card (C.A.C.) showing active military status and branch of service
• Retired Military ID card (if yours doesn’t contain a photo, use an additional piece of photo ID)
• State issued driver’s license showing your “veteran” or “military” designation, or
• DD214 (along with a state or federal issued photo ID)
The Portland Aerial Tram is owned and operated by the City of Portland in conjunction with a grant from OHSU. While they no longer offer VA employees a free ride up the hill and discounts for military and Veterans, you can use your Transit card to purchase the monthly pass from the lower site Tram office. This service is not available online. Also note that your Transit Card cannot be used for daily purchases for the Tram between the 15th and 23rd of each month so a monthly pass is the best option for the Tram. For more information, visit https://www.gobytram.com
For those who live in the city center of Portland, the Portland Streetcar is another option for commuting if you utilize the Tram, but live closer to the city center. The Portland Streetcar honors the Honored Citizen Pass offered by TriMet.
Vanpools/Carpools
Another very popular and versatile option is Vanpools. C-TRAN in Southwest Washington oversees a Vanpool program through Get There SW Washington. Their Vanpool requires a minimum of 3 people (including the driver) to apply for a Vanpool, which has a maximum capacity of 12 passengers. The commute must be a minimum of 10 miles and must start and end in the C-TRAN’s service area. For more information, or to apply for a Vanpool, visit https://c-tran.com/c-tran-services/vanpool?highlight=WyJ2YW5wb29sIl0=
Another regional Vanpool available to VA Portland employees is administered by “Commute” A Smarter Way To Commute To Work, in conjunction with Enterprise. This Vanpool program is a rideshare where employees share the cost of a vehicle between themselves via the use of their Transit Benefits. With designated Vanpool parking on the VA Portland and Vancouver campuses, they will have guaranteed parking on campus. The Vanpool will not cost individual members any money, and qualifying Vanpool groups will be given a SUV or van to drive.
QSV Program Support Assistant and VA Portland employee, Debbie Engels says the Vanpool program gives you better transportation options.
“Overall the Vanpool makes my commute from Wood Village (22.5 miles) and then home daily (22.5 miles) very pleasant,” Engels says. “I have a wonderful group of ladies to commute with and spend time with every day. We have three people in the Vanpool authorized to drive the vehicle so we can share the responsibility.”
Engels says her Vanpool get many cars off the road and make her commute nicer. While during pre-COVID times, there were many Vanpools at the VA Portland facility, the popularity may make a comeback as workers return to the campus.
She also says it’s nice to take the Vanpool vehicle home with you as the designated driver.
“If you are the Vanpool coordinator, you have physical custody of the vehicle and it lives at your home,” Engels continues. “Just make sure you have adequate parking for it,” she cautions. But she adds that the benefits far outweigh the risks.
“You drive the van pool vehicle from home for pickups with no wear and tear on your private car,” she adds.
For anyone interested in starting a Vanpool or joining an existing one, there is a tool on the Enterprise website where you can find an existing vanpool or to apply to build a van pool. Keep in mind you will need at least four people with the same schedule in order to successfully set up and maintain a Vanpool group. For those interested in more information, the local contact is Christian Terlizzo, who can be reached via email at Christian.Terlizzo@EM.com, or you can visit the Enterprise site at: https://www.commutewithenterprise.com.
VISN 20 Transit Program (Transit Card) VISN20 Work Life Benefits A subsidy program that credits a “goCard” with funds for use the following month. Open to all eligible employees of the VA. Users must fill out and submit VA Form 0722 with supervisor certification. See this link for more information.
Biking
VA Portland employee and Registered Nurse, Kelli Beyer, has found her “groove” by bicycling to work.
“Bicycling to work at the Portland VA is a healthy and fun way to start your day,” she says. “It boosts your physical and mental well-being, helps you avoid traffic stress, and lets you enjoy the beauty of the city on your commute!”
Beyer adds that Portland’s strong community of cyclists and the new secure caged bike parking, which is coming soon, means there’s never been a better time to jump on and ride! To help spread the word and provide resources for those involved in the only option on this list that includes an awesome cardio workout, visit the new Cycling SharePoint page here.
“Tt’s good for you and great for the planet!” Beyer adds.
Other Resources
For those who absolutely must drive their personal vehicle to the VA Portland campus, the VA Police Parking Team runs a SharePoint page which allows for limited use day parking. Visit their site or contact VA Police for more information.
Parking options. While there aren’t a lot of options for parking lots or street parking near VA Portland’s main campus, there are apps and tools to help locate parking lots, such as Parkopedia and SpotHero. You can also visit The City of Portland’s Parking Guide website to locate parking nearby or within public transit distance.
Get There Oregon aims to keep Oregon moving by increasing access to multimodal transportation options — such as transit, biking, walking, carpooling, and vanpooling — to boost sustainability, reduce traffic congestion, and enhance mobility and access to opportunities in our communities. Get There Oregon provides tools, resources, and support for using transportation options. Get There Oregon’s free online tool, Get There Connect, which can be found at https://getthereoregon.org/for-commuters/connect, allows users to plan trips, find and create carpools and vanpools, log trips, track metrics, and participate in local rewards programs and challenges, as available. In addition, Get There Oregon works with employers to promote commute options in the workplace and helps with employee commute planning, employee surveys, commute-related metric tracking, friendly commute-focused competitions and rewards, and more. For more information, visit Get There Oregon at https://getthereoregon.org.
There is also a similar resource for residents in SW Washington, at Get There SW Washington, located at https://getthereswwashington.org/. The site helps people find a carpool match, plan their transit or biking trip, and earn rewards along the way. Get There is a regional partnership for employers, commuters, and the community at large. The site also includes a trip planner, Bike Month Challenge and information on community events, information on C-Tran’s Vine program, The Current, how to combine biking and riding the C-Tran buses, and how to earn Get There Rewards.