The future of the state’s van pool program is uncertain after the loss of state and federal funding.

Vanpool Hawaii provides more than 300 vans to 1,600 commuters statewide to carpool to work. 

But state funding for the 17-year-old program ends June 30.

Options include increasing fees or finding other sources of funding, Vicki Harris, the executive director of Van Pool Hawaii said. 

Vanpool Hawaii, operated by VPSI Inc., had been fully funded by the federal government until April 2010. The state Department of Transportation used $3.7 million in taxpayer funds to keep the program running through the end of the month. 

Currently program users pay $65 to $80  a month to ride in a vanpool. Drivers also get the use of the van during non-commute hours.

"Our top priority is to continue to provide the current level of superior operations, services and coverage that our vanpoolers have come to expect," said Vicki Harris, executive director of Vanpool Hawaii. "While we are expeditiously working to control operational costs, we are simultaneously working with the state to find a way to tap available federal funds that will allow us to keep customer monthly fees down, thereby keeping the program a competitive transportation option that helps to reduce the number of cars on Hawaii roadways."