A new state audit finds "gross mismanagement" of a rural vanpool program by the state DOT public transportation division, and the findings have been referred to the State Bureau of Investigation for possible action.

The audit report says that:

DOT allowed a Raleigh-Durham area company, 2Plus Inc., to operate the vanpool program with 38 DOT-owned vans for six years without a contract. The company received $4.3 million to operate the program for 11 years.

DOT vans were used to transport South Carolina residents to jobs in North Carolina.

An Outer Banks resort used DOT vans to shuttle its nonresident alien workers between the resort property and local housing.

2Plus billed DOT for $163,272 for personal mileage fees, backup fees and insurance deductibles "that appeared excessive or unreasonable." DOT did not review 2Plus invoices to make sure it paid only for reasonable expenses.

Miriam S. Perry, who retired in December as public transportation division director, personally managed the 2Plus contract, but she did not personally manage other DOT contracts.

Beth A. Wood, the state auditor, said her findings and Perry's role in personally managing the vanpool contract would be referred to the SBI.

Gene Conti, the DOT secretary, today named Teresa Hart the new director of the public transportation division.  Hart, a 26-year DOT veteran and a registered professional engineer, recently served as unit head and project planning engineer for DOT's Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch.

With 12 days left in the 2010 campaign, 4151 Triangle folks have taken the SmartCommute Challenge.

You simply pledge to try a new way of getting to work or to campus. How hard is that?

The deadline is May 15.  Participants are eligible for bikes, gadgets, $1500 cash and other prizes.

I know from past SmartCommute campaigns that this is how lots of people discover whether taking the bus could be a real option for them. Sometimes, they find the answer is Yes.

This year the three-county campaign also features a Flickr photo contest with $750 for the best pic submitted by folks showing how they bike, bus, walk, carpool or (I'm leaving something out I know) telecommute to work. Oh, or vanpool. I know they don't say telecommute any more - they say telework.

The 2010 SmartCommute Challenge is about to crank up. That means Triangle commuters will get the chance to win cool stuff in exchange for simply promising to experiment with a new way of getting to work.

This is a three-county, month-long campaign for people who commute to jobs or college in the Triangle. To reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, commuters are encouraged to cut back on driving solo. Alternatives include taking the bus, joining a carpool or vanpool, walking or biking, or "teleworking" from home.

It's pretty easy. Between April 15 (Thursday) and May 15, ... [MORE]

Saturday is your last chance to take the SmartCommute Challenge -- a good idea on its own merits -- and enter the drawing for prices including a $2,500 check.

So far 10,433 Triangle residents have taken the challenge -- which means they pledge to experiment with some commuting mode other than driving alone to work or school. In other words: bus, vanpool, carpool, walk, bike, telecommute, did I leave anything out?

The idea behind this six-week, three-county campaign is simple and smart. Give lots of people incentives to leave the car at home and experiment with other ways of getting to work, and some of this will stick. Some people will actually change their habits.

Details are online. 

They say virtue is its own reward, and you could argue that taking the SmartCommute Challenge is its own reward, too.

But if it isn't -- if the experience of biking or carpooling or catching the bus is not enticing enough -- there are prizes at stake. Does that sound more rewarding?

The idea behind this six-week, three-county campaign is a simple and proven one. Give lots of people incentives to leave the car at home and experiment with other ways of getting to work, and some of this will stick. Some people will actually change their habits.

This really works. Frequently when I interview some Triangle commuter reading the paper on the way to the office, it turns out that he or she first got the bus-riding bug in a previous SmartCommute campaign.

Here's how it works:

From April 15 through May 30, any employee or college student who commutes to work or campus in Wake, Durham, or Orange County can participate. To enter the Challenge, make
your online pledge that at least once before May 30 you will carpool,
vanpool, bike or walk, ride the bus, or telework (work from home).

Everyone who takes the Challenge will be entered into a drawing to win one of several PRIZES, including $2,500 cash!

That's pretty simple. The website helps you figure out how you actually can ride a bike or a bus or join a vanpool etc., and of course it talks about those prizes. The campaign started last Wednesday, and 1501 people have signed up so far at the website.

Good luck and have fun.