Thanks for riding with us!
|
 This time of year reminds us to be thankful, and we at Pierce Transit Vanpool are thankful for many things, including YOU, our customers.
We are delighted that so many vanpoolers participated in our You+2 Vanpool Ridership Challenge. You really stepped up to the plate and accepted our challenge to ride, invite and smile for a chance to win. We were happy to provide these rewards:
- We offered free daily rides September 10-30 as a lead-in to the October challenge. All riders who took advantage of that offer continued vanpooling in October.
- $5 gift codes were awarded to the 32 new monthly riders who rode 5+ days in October.
- Ten riders received $50 gift codes for saying Cheese! and submitting vanpool selfies.
- We randomly surprised four groups with $5 Starbucks cards just to say thanks for riding.
- One vanpooler recruited two new riders and received a $25 gift code.
- Paused vanpools restarting in October were put into a drawing. One lucky group received a $100 gift code per person as a warm welcome back!
Watch your email for more rewards that we will send out next week. You could win a $50 or $100 gift code just for riding in October!
|
WINTER DRIVING TIPS
Winter means shorter daylight hours, a change in weather, and the end of daylight savings. Here are a few reminders as we enter the winter season:
- Stop for school buses. You must stop for a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road or at an intersection you are approaching. You are not required to stop for a school bus with red lights flashing when the stopped school bus is traveling in the opposite direction and the roadway:
- has three or more marked traffic lanes,
- is separated by a median, or
- is separated by a physical barrier.
See the Washington Driver Guide, page 3-26, for full details about when to stop for a school bus.
- Slow down in school zones and obey the posted speed limit. Watch for children exiting the bus and crossing roadways. Children are excited and often have a limited sense of danger.
- Turn on headlights at all times. This increases your visibility to pedestrians and other motorists.
- Watch for standing water on roadways. Hydroplaning can occur at speeds as low as 35 mph. Keep both hands on the wheel to maximize control if you unexpectedly encounter standing water.
- When driving in fog, slow down and stay well behind other motorists so you have plenty of time to stop, if needed. Cold mornings often bring fog, which can greatly limit your visibility.
- Sun glare can impact your vision for seconds after exposure, and can make it hard to see traffic lights, preventing you from knowing if a light is green or red.
- To help minimize glare, use your sun visor and keep your windshield clean, inside and out. Also, increase your following distance so you have more time to react.
- If your route includes an area where deer tend to roam, which can be in rural or urban areas, watch carefully for darting deer, especially when driving at night.
HELP US, HELP YOU
As a Pierce Transit vanpooler, you may already know there are many resources available to you, including online forms, vanpool staff available by phone or email, and an informative website. Here are a few ways you can help us help you even better:
- When contacting Pierce Transit, let us know your vanpool’s GIN (group ID number). This will allow us to quickly find information for you.
- Read your emails. We send important information to your email.
- Open and read your statement each month. There may be changes you’re unaware of regarding your balance due (due to a new rider joining or leaving the group, etc.).
Got ideas on how we can improve? We’d love to hear them. Just call us at 253.581.8000 (option 3, then 1) or email us at Vanpool@PierceTransit.org.
|
