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News From Silicon Valley's Neighborhoods

Carpool Rage San Jose--By Christmas, 30 city employees will ditch their cars and commute to work in shiny-new natural gas-powered vans--gifts from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. But the densely worded contract that prospective car-poolers must sign to get in the program might elicit its own brand of road rage. On top of the, 'be here at this time or we leave without you' clause which all carpool arrangements contain, the contract deal requires ... . Participants must keep daily logs on the condition of the vehicle and it's mileage and fuel status; they also must watch a natural gas training seminar, and earn a Class B drivers license. All gas is to be purchased from one location--the Main Yard in San Jose, except in an emergency. And the van's driver gets to pick the radio station. Passengers can bring headphones if they wish. Riders who don't follow each of these rules can be terminated from the vanpool with only one day's notice. Cecily Barnes [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]