New Oregon Vanpool Program Aims to Cut Cost of Long Gorge Commutes

Home PageWasco CountyThe DallesHood River County

Sep 15

Written By Columbia Community Connection

From the Gorge Transit team with edits from Joshuah Albert:

By Emily Reed

The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 15, 2026 — Workers commuting between communities in the Columbia River Gorge could save thousands of dollars a year through a new statewide vanpool program designed to reduce the cost of getting to work.

Get There Oregon has launched its Get There by Vanpool program, which provides employers with vanpool management services and subsidies covering up to half of a vanpool’s monthly cost.

The program is aimed primarily at workers with longer commutes — generally 20 miles or more — who live near one another and travel to the same workplace or employment area. Vanpools typically carry five to 14 people.

The potential savings could be substantial for Gorge workers, where commuting between communities can add thousands of dollars to annual household expenses.

According to figures distributed with information about the program, the estimated cost of driving a personal vehicle between Hood River and The Dalles is about $31 round trip. For someone making that commute five days a week, the estimate puts the annual cost at about $8,000.

The calculations are based on an estimated vehicle ownership and operating cost of 72 cents per mile, including fuel, repairs, insurance, and depreciation.

Longer Gorge commutes can cost considerably more. The program's accompanying estimates put a Portland-to-The Dalles round trip at $108, or roughly $28,000 annually for a five-day-a-week commuter. A Vancouver-to-Goldendale commute was estimated at $167 round trip, or about $43,000 annually.

The new vanpool program is intended to give employers another option for workers facing those costs while potentially making it easier for businesses to recruit and retain employees from a larger geographic area.

Under the program, Commute with Enterprise works with employers to establish and manage vanpools. Services include matching riders, onboarding drivers, planning routes, providing rental vehicles and maintenance, insurance, and handling day-to-day vanpool administration.

A new state subsidy can cover up to 50% of the monthly cost of qualifying vanpools. The maximum subsidy is $550 per month for vanpools with up to eight seats and $750 per month for those with nine to 14 seats.

Employers that don't have enough workers interested in forming their own vanpool may also be able to partner with other employers to assemble a group traveling along the same route.

The program could be particularly useful in the Gorge, where workers frequently commute between communities including The Dalles, Hood River, White Salmon, Stevenson, Goldendale and Portland.

The figures provided with the announcement estimate a daily round-trip driving cost of $47 between Goldendale and The Dalles, $32 between Stevenson and White Salmon, $50 between Hood River and Mt. Hood Meadows, and $80 between Portland and Hood River.

Get There Oregon also promotes public transportation as another alternative to driving alone. The accompanying Gorge transportation graphic advertises unlimited transit rides for $40 annually, although routes, schedules, and availability vary depending on where workers live and work.