Thanks to the participation of DoD employees and contractors at the Detroit Arsenal, there are now 200 daily active vanpools on the roads.

The mass transit benefit program, more commonly known as the MichiVan program, reached the 200 van mark in 2015. That makes them the largest program not only in Michigan but also in the entire United States.

"We have the largest vanpool in the United States," Shawn Morris, traffic management specialist at Detroit Arsenal said. "There is a waiting list to receive vans and we should have 205 in a few months."

MichiVan at the Detroit Arsenal began in 2003 and has seen their fleet of vans grow. From 2009-2014 the number of vans went from 87-183. In 2011 and 2013, 23 vans were added.

For cost, a maximum federal subsidy of $130 a month is allowed for each enrollee. "The seat cost for the vanpool depends on the one-way travel mileage and the size of the van," Morris said. "Some seats cost as low as $81.62 per month and some as high as $132.50 per month. The larger the car size the lower the cost because it's more people."

The federal government has budgeted $160,000 a month to support the program.

In order to start you need at least five people. After you have enough people to ride, you choose a primary driver. "The driver in charge must maintain the van and keep it up," Morris said. "The driver can use the van an extra 200 miles for personal use a month and also get money to use for fuel."

The vanpool can seat between seven and 15 people. There are 1,516 seats available when you combine all of the vans. Right now there is an 80 percent occupancy rate and 6.2 average daily passengers per vanpool.

As of January 15 there were 1,229 people using the vans and five riding a Smart Bus for a total of 1,234 riders.

Other statistics from the January environmental fleet impact report are that over 21,000 cars are taken off the highway because of the program. More than 2,000 trips are eliminated per day and 111,693 cumulative gallons of fuel are saved. Additionally, fuel savings add up to $268,062.

There are countless benefits of using the MichiVan program. "This is a good experience for riders and they spend less on gas," Morris said. "Riders use their own cars for leisure. They drive them on the weekends while not at work. By doing this, insurance rates go down."

Morris says there is better parking and fewer cars at the Arsenal because of the program. She also said that riders experience less wear and tear on their cars which means fewer oil changes and keeps your car in better shape.

More than 1,000 parking spots are saved each day and over 2.8 million cumulative vehicle miles are eliminated since the program began.

Now more than ever with potholes being a hot topic in Michigan, Morris say's that with the bad winters and dangerous road conditions, it's better to be a passenger and not have to worry about driving.

As far as the direct impact to the environment, 42 tons of Carbon Monoxide and 1,083 tons of Carbon Dioxide have been eliminated.