Jay,VT – Jay Peak on Wednesday announced that it will be offering a free vanpool service to its employees to get them to and from their home communities in rural northern Vermont up to the ski resort to work. The pilot program will use four new vans, which will stop in six towns initially, and expand to eight vans and more towns should demand increase. The partnership is the first of its kind in New England.

“This is an investment in our employees on many different levels,” said Jay Peak president Bill Stenger. “It’s completely free to the employees. It gives them a safe and reliable way to get to and from their home communities on a daily basis. For people who have wanted to work at Jay Peak, but couldn’t because they lacked transportation, it now gives them an opportunity for employment. And for those who use their personal vehicle, but can now leave it at home, the money they’ve spent on gas and maintenance can go into their pockets.”

The resort began working with Creative Workforce Solutions four years ago on the project as Jay Peak realized its expansion plans would draw employees from beyond its close communities. In 2010, approximately 500 people worked at the mountain. Today that number is north of 1,500, with employees coming from as far away as Colebrook, N.H.

The two organizations then teamed up with go! Vermont and vRide through the state’s Agency of Transportation to bring the program to fruition. The four-month initiative will cost north of $14,000 dollars. Jay Peak will foot close to $12,000 of that cost with go! Vermont contributing $2,800.

“VTrans is pleased to be partnering with Jay Peak to bring this efficient, reliable and affordable transportation option to their employees,” said Barbara Donovan, Public Transit Administrator for the Vermont Agency of Transportation. “Reliable and affordable transportation continues to be an issue for many workers, and this vanpool arrangement will allow employees to arrive to work each day safely, on time, and for less money.”

The pilot program will provide four 12-passenger vans shuttling employees to and from the towns of Island Pond, Lowell, Orleans, Newport, Montgomery, and Richford. The vans will operate from December through March. The four vans will save thousands of miles and hundreds of dollars each week for the employees, not to mention wear and tear on vehicles. It will also free-up parking spaces at Jay Peak.