Topeka ? For Abe Rezayazdi and other state van-pool riders in Lawrence, the system worked.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Friday signed into law a bill that will keep the van-pool program running, reversing an earlier commitment to phase out the 20 large state vans that transport about 250 employees to and from Topeka from Lawrence, the Kansas City-area and other locations.

“It worked the way it was supposed to work,” said Rezayazdi, a van-pool coordinator and employee at the Kansas Department of Transportation. “We had a grass-roots effort, we provided documentation and we went to hearings and got people who cared about our cause involved.”

The Kansas Department of Administration had wanted to cut the program, saying it wasn’t self-sufficient and the state shouldn’t be in the business of running a commuter line because of the liability involved and the fact that it hurt private competitors.

At one point, Sebelius advised state employees upset about the phase-out plan to carpool or buy a car.

But van-pool riders said that the program reduced pollution and traffic congestion, and that they were under the impression their monthly fees made the program self-sufficient.

The new law requires that the program be self-sufficient, so the monthly fees are expected to increase, but officials have not yet said by how much.

Rezayazdi said commuters on the Lawrence-to-Topeka route currently paid $53 per month.

Van-pool program likely to ride on (4-6-04) Committee stalls van-pool proposal (3-9-04) Van-pool riders encourage legislators to keep program (2-19-04) Sebelius answers van-pool critics (1-22-04) Car pooling? (8-15-03) Car pooling has pluses, negatives, riders say (10-14-01) Frequently asked questions about Vanpool