Mike Fernandez spends about $86 a month to get to and from work at White Pass.

It's a bargain in today's world with gas prices zooming into record territory, currently at $4.28 a gallon for unleaded regular.

Fernandez, a ski area mechanic for eight years, and five fellow employees have chosen to vanpool for the 38-mile trip four days a week.

He figures he is saving $300 monthly on fuel and wear and tear. He also doesn't have to change the oil or replace the tires on the Yakima Transit-supplied minivan.

"The economic cost is a big one," Fernandez, 28, said of the decision to enter the vanpool program. "We all carpooled all those years. We've always driven our vehicles. It was never an issue. It has become a cost issue."

Vanpooling is growing in popularity, as are other forms of public transportation.

Vanpools have grown dramatic-ally since the Legislature invested $30 million in a 10-year plan to boost access to ridesharing.

Even with 60 percent growth statewide in the number of vans to 2,500 as of May, supply isn't keeping up with demand. Since July 1, 2007, boardings have grown by 24 percent.

The state estimates 21,000 people participate in vanpooling.

East of the mountains, where vanpooling is a more recent phen-omenon, the growth has been 150 percent, said Chris Simmons, ride-share program manager for the state Department of Transportation.

"We are getting calls from logging companies," Simmons said, "people we have never heard from before."

The White Pass vanpool began operating in May. The ski company provided a shuttle for employees last winter when the ski area staffed up for the season.

But in the spring, with employ-ment down to just full-time workers, the shuttle didn't make sense, Fernandez said.

The vanpool members share the basic fee and cover the mileage costs. It works out to $86 a month out of his pocket. Vanpooling does require one of the riders be the coordinator and make the monthly payment to cover operating and fuel costs. Vanpool drivers have to undergo driver training and have a squeaky clean driving record.

Growth in alternative transportation isn't limited to commutes. In-town travel seems to be making more sense to people.

Yakima Transit is experiencing a 12.5 percent increase in ridership so far this year. Projecting seasonal changes suggest to transit officials the average growth for all of 2008 will be above 10 percent.

The price of gas alone doesn't account for all the increase, said Ken Mehin, city transit manager. While it's a primary reason for the increase, growth in Yakima has also contributed to the largest increase in transit use in 20 years.

"I would estimate 65 percent to 70 percent is because of gas prices," said Mehin, transit manager since 2002.

Mehin said Yakima's growth rate has been below that of other major metro-politan areas, where rider-ship has risen more than 20 percent in many cases.

Karen Allen, Yakima Transit marketing and program administrator, said use of public transit tends to increase when gas prices rise. But she anticipates the bus system can sustain some of the new riders even should gas prices drop.

"As people experience Yakima Transit, they find it can work for them," she said.

Yakima Transit is cur-rently at its limit with 26 buses traveling 11 routes through the city and to Selah and Union Gap.

The Union Gap route will end sometime this year because the Union Gap City Council opted to hire a pri-vate contractor to serve its citizens.

Mehin said further expansion is something the Yakima City Council will have to address. He said the transit system expects to have to dip into reserves to fund operations later this year.

The public system isn't immune from high gas prices. Even with its ability to purchase diesel on a state contract at $4.50 a gallon, it remains costly for a system that consumes 15,000 gallons per month.

Likewise, expanding the current 25-unit vanpool will require funding. Allen said Yakima Transit bought 20 vans, increasing its fleet from nine to 26. Some of the original vans have been taken out of service.

The last 10 vans cost a total of $220,500.

The most frequent dest-ination is Hanford, with 14 vans making the trip daily. Another two vans travel to White Swan. To be eligible for the Yakima Transit vanpool program, the trip must originate in Yakima.

She said Yakima Transit has one van available and several groups are inquir-ing about its use. The initial purchase comes from the state funding. Replacing vans as they wear out comes from a fund created by the monthly payments vanpool groups pay.

Expanding the fleet will require a decision from the City Council.

"We will have to find out from the City Council what their thinking is," she said.

Simmons said the state hopes to have as many as 3,200 vans on the road within the next couple of years.

The changing economy -- high gas prices -- has added more reasons for the program in addition to the original intent to reduce congestion by cutting the number of vehicles on the road in heavily populated Puget Sound.

It has now become an economic development tool, especially in the rural parts of the state for those who choose to live there.

"Vanpooling is an opportunity for rural areas to maintain a lifestyle set," Simmons said.

Vanpool numbers

n 2007 -- 16 vans with 71,495 passenger trips

n 2008 (through May) -- 25 vans with 34,500 passenger trips

Yakima Transit ridership

n 2004 -- 1,028,870

n 2005 -- 1,081,795

n 2006 -- 1,176,616

n 2007 -- 1,280,841

n 2008 (through July 7) -- 760,506; projects to 1,412,368 for the year.

Source: Yakima Transit