Community Transit Vanpool vans ready to go

Community Transit’s Vanpool program makes getting to work easy, reliable and affordable. We provide the van and you provide the community — including eligible drivers to drive your Vanpool van. 

Vanpools have at least two assigned drivers. Vanpool drivers must complete an online defensive driving course and satisfy a driving record check, including meeting the requirements outlined below. More drivers in a single Vanpool allows for more flexibility. 

Who drives a Community Transit Vanpool?

Community Transit Vanpool drivers are members of the vanpool who volunteer to drive the group to work. Community Transit is committed to safety. And that commitment extends to all the vanpool drivers in our program. To become a vanpool driver, we ask for a copy of your driving record to be sure that you qualify. Once you have completed the driver training, we will monitor your driving record. We do this because we insure you as a vanpool driver. We also have an obligation to make sure that you continue to be eligible to drive the vanpool.

Community Transit is part of Washington State Transit Insurance Pool. We follow a set of best practices that determines eligibility of Vanpool drivers.

Am I eligible to drive a Vanpool?

If you are 21 years of age or older, you have a good driving record (no more than one minor ticket or accident in the last three years), and you have three years of verifiable driving history in the U.S. or Canada, you may be eligible to drive a vanpool. If your three-year driving history is from a country other than the U.S. or Canada, please contact us and we can discuss your situation.

If you have a ticket on your driving record and it's less than three years old, we will assign points to that citation. For more serious offenses (such as DUI or reckless driving), the driver will be ineligible for 10 years. The table below shows many common tickets and how many points that ticket is worth. This list doesn't cover every possible citation. If you have a ticket that isn't described below, you can call or email and we will provide you with additional information.

We allow up to three points for vanpool drivers. If your ticket is 4 or more points, or you have more than one ticket, you would not be eligible to drive the vanpool at this time.

Washington State Transit Insurance Pool Point System

Note: If the ticket happens while driving Vanpool, please add one point to the citation.

2 points
  • Operating without lights on
  • Carpool lane violation
  • Driving on the shoulder
  • Driving without insurance
  • Failure to appear
  • Failure to signal
  • Following too close
  • Impeding traffic (traveling too slowly)
  • Improper lane travel
  • Speeding (0-8 MPH over)
  • Distracted driving
3 points:
  • Improper child restraint
  • Failure to yield to emergency vehicle
  • Speeding (9-12 MPH over)
  • Driving without a valid license
  • Seatbelt use violation
  • Speeding in a school zone (1-5 miles over the limit)
4 points:
  • Speeding in a school zone (6+ MPH over the limit)
  • Cell phone or texting violation
  • Deferred prosecution for negligent driving, reckless driving, hit and run, leaving an accident scene, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Driving too fast for conditions
  • Failure to yield or stop, disobeying a road sign
  • Illegal passing, turning, or lane change
  • Open alcohol container
  • Red light camera violation in Vanpool vehicle
  • Speeding (13 + MPH over the limit)
  • Violation of bus stop paddle

What happens if I get a ticket?

During your time as a vanpool driver, you may be cited by law enforcement. Please report any citation to us, whether in your vehicle or the vanpool.

If you plan to go to court after receiving a ticket to get it reduced or deferred, please be aware that we may still assign points. When a ticket is contested, there are a few possible outcomes.

If the ticket is reduced: The court has changed the citation to a lesser or non-moving violation. We would assign points based on the original citation.

If the ticket is deferred: The court has agreed to remove the record of your ticket after a certain period of time if you meet their requirements. We would assign points based on the original citation.

If the ticket is dismissed: The court has found you "not guilty" and you do not pay any court costs or fines. We would not assign any points. We do require that the court record showing the dismissal is provided to us.

During the time you are waiting for a hearing, we may suspend you as an authorized driver if the citation causes you to accumulate 4 or more points.