Topeka ? Vanpool riders packed a legislative hearing today to protect their program.

“The program is good for the state of Kansas; it does not cost the state any money, yet provides a mode of transportation that makes working for the state government more attractive,” Abe Rezayazdi, a vanpool coordinator from Lawrence, said.

The state has 20 large vans that transport employees to Topeka. About 100 employees from Lawrence ride the vans.

The Kansas Department of Administration had proposed abolishing the program, saying it wasn’t paying for itself and there were liability concerns.

But vanpool riders said they were told earlier that their fees were paying for the program. They said if that is not the case, they would be willing to pay more.

The vanpool riders appeared before the House budget-writing committee to voice support of a bill that would prevent the administration department from repealing the program.

The bill is being sponsored by the Lawrence members of the House.

At the hearing, the administration department said it was willing to continue the program if that’s what the Legislature wanted to do.

If the bill becomes law, “the department will make the necessary adjustments to make the program self-sufficient,” Carol Foreman, deputy secretary of the administration department, said. The bill is HB 2666.