City-to-burbs commuter service grows

By Jane M. Von Bergen

Published February 26, 2007

In less than a year, a reverse-commuter transportation program has grown from one minivan to 20 and is now transporting about 100 workers from the city to hard-to-reach jobs in the suburbs.

The program, run through the Philadelphia Unemployment Project and sponsored in part by U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), helps overcome a common problem that faces low-wage workers who live in the city.

There are jobs in the suburbs, but getting to them is difficult without a car. Even if public transportation is available, it may involve several buses and take hours. In the van program, one worker gets a minivan, picks up nearby riders, and takes them to and from work.

Workers pay $5 a day for the convenient ride, which is less than it would cost to take a bus or train. Federal grants help pay for the van, insurance, gasoline and other expenses, said John Dodds, executive director of the Unemployment Project. But, he said, some suburban employers are beginning to subsidize the vans because they see the value of their employees having an efficient and convenient way to get to work.

Fattah and Dodds hope to build the program to 40 vans by February 2008.

Officials from Brooks/Eckerd Pharmaceuticals in Fairless Hills and Quest Diagnostics Inc. of Trooper, praised the program at a news conference Friday. That praise was echoed by their employees who use the vans to get to work