Dozens of commuters who rely on METRO’s Star Vanpool program were left scrambling this week after the service was suddenly suspended.
According to METRO, there are 232 active vans serving nearly 1,800 registered riders.
Riders say they depend on the vanpool to travel long distances to and from work—and now they’re stuck with unexpected costs and limited options.
Rodney Reddix, a vanpool rider from Pearland, travels nearly 104 miles round trip every day to get to his job at ExxonMobil in Spring. He reached out to KPRC 2’s Re’Chelle Turner and said not having access to the vanpool is a huge concern.
On a typical day, Rodney and a group of coworkers would use the METRO Star Vanpool for their commute from Pearland.
They’ve used the vanpool for 8 years, and he says it’s both a time-saver and a money-saver.
“There’s a tremendous savings because we share the cost of the vanpool, share the gas and the tolls so we’re able to save hundreds of dollars per month,” he said.
He’s one of many frustrated riders who were notified Monday afternoon around 3pm that all vanpool vehicles were being pulled from service “until further notice.”
“I couldn’t believe that the vanpool would be sending out an email randomly and shutting down the vanpool,” he said.
Rodney shared a picture of a Lyft receipt with Turner—he and his coworkers had to split a $105 fare just to get back home to Pearland.
“People had to alter their plans, alter childcare situations, elder care situations in order to accommodate driving back and forth to work,” he said.
So how much can you save by using the Vanpool?
For Rodney, tolls from Pearland to Spring are $17 a day—that’s $85 a week. Add gas—$65 twice a week—and it totals $215 a week just to get to work and back.
“The vanpool is a huge cost savings because it’s only about $125 a month vs. $600-$800 in gas,” he said.
Rodney’s now back in the driver’s seat—but he hopes this roadblock is only temporary.
“What is their plan to make sure something like this doesn’t happen because this is a major life interruption,” he added.
Below is the full emergency notification sent to riders on May 12:
Emergency Notification from METRO Star Vanpool:
“Dear Metro Star Vanpool Riders,
We are writing to inform you that, due to unforeseen circumstances effecting service operations, all METRO Star Vanpool vehicles must remain out of service until further notice. Please do not drive the Metro STAR Van effective immediately.
We understand the inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your patience and cooperation. Please be assured that logistics are currently being prepared to ensure all riders have transportation back to their original destinations.
We are actively working with the necessary parties to resolve this matter as quickly as possible and will keep you informed with updates as they become available.
We recommend contacting Lyft—either individually or as a group—for a ride back to your parked car at the close of business. You will need to make your own travel arrangements to and from work until further notice.
For additional assistance or questions, please call 713-224-7433.
Thank you for your understanding.”
On Tuesday, Turner followed up with METRO. They released a follow-up statement explaining that the disruption was caused by a lapse in liability insurance by the contractor responsible for the vanpool vehicles.
METRO Star Vanpool sent the following message to customers on Friday:
“We regret to inform you that our METRO Star Vanpool service remains suspended until further notice. Our team is actively working with our contractor to ensure they have valid liability insurance coverage for all vanpool operations.
METRO holds the safety of our customers as our highest priority, so we will not be restoring service until the matter is fully resolved. We understand the inconvenience this causes and appreciate your patience.
We encourage you to coordinate carpools within your current vanpool groups, and our METRO Star Customer Service team is ready to help you find matches if needed:
Phone: 713-224-7433
Email: star@ridemetro.org
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We will notify you as soon as vanpool service is ready to resume.”
In the meantime, METRO says riders who had to arrange emergency transportation this week—such as through Uber, Lyft, or a taxi—can submit receipts for reimbursement through Friday.
A spokesperson from Metro says reimbursements are only being offered to riders who truly had no other commuting options.
According to METRO, In the interim, METRO Vanpool will reimburse any employee who arranged emergency transportation via Uber, Lyft, taxi, or similar services thru the remaining of this week only (Friday). Should the need arise to extend beyond this, we will address it on a case-by-case basis.
Here’s how to request reimbursement:
Email: mailto:starbilling@ridemetro.org
Include the following:
- Name and mailing address
- Vanpool number
- Digital or scanned receipt for each rider
The billing manager will process claims promptly once all information is received.
If you have questions, METRO asks riders to call 713-224-RIDE (7433) or email star@ridemetro.org.
METRO says they’ll continue to evaluate the situation and are committed to restoring service as soon as possible.