Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius had some advice for state employees upset by her plan to phase out a commuter “van-pool” program: Go buy a car.

“Nothing would preclude somebody from buying a vehicle” to continue carpooling, Sebelius said Wednesday. She noted that many commuters carpooled without relying on “state-bought and purchased and maintained vehicles.”

But the governor’s plan to phase out 20 extra-large vans used to transport 270 state employees from Lawrence and other areas to Topeka has the commuters in a fit of road rage.

About 75 of them met Wednesday in a basement cafeteria in the Docking State Office Building to try to save the program. Sebelius did not attend.

“The state should actually be doing more of this, not less,” said Cheryl Miller of Lawrence, who works for the Kansas Department of Administration. “This is a much bigger issue. It’s about the environment.”

The employees argued that since they paid for the vanpool service, it was self-sufficient. And they said the availability of the vans reduced traffic congestion and pollution, saved gasoline, freed up parking spaces and was a deciding factor for many employees on whether they would work for the state.

Their concerns have caught the ear of at least one legislator.

“I’ve had more correspondence on the vanpool this session than anything else,”said Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence. “It affects a lot of people in Lawrence.”

Sloan said he and Rep. Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, would file legislation to try to block the administration from curtailing the program. But, Sloan said, he would rather Sebelius look at the proposal again and reverse herself so the legislation would be unnecessary.

Cheryl Miller and other state employees from Lawrence get out of the van that takes them to and from their jobs in Topeka. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius plans to phase out the commuter program, but about 75 riders met Wednesday in Topeka to discuss saving the program. The van dropped off the workers about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Westlake Hardware parking lot, 601 Kasold Drive.

But Sebelius defended her position, saying the state needed to get out of the commuter business. She urged employees to pair up and carpool in privately owned vehicles.

Under her plan, the vans will be retired when they hit 95,000 miles. The first van is scheduled for retirement in November.

“It’s short-sighted,” Monica Remillard, of Bonner Springs, said of Sebelius’ move. “She’s not taking in all the issues and repercussions.”

Remillard, who works for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, said she and her co-riders paid from $55 per month to $70 per month to sustain the program.

In fact, riders said, the payments supposedly are going toward upkeep and replacement costs for vehicles. One state employee at the meeting asked how he would get back money that was supposed to go toward replacing the van.

Car pooling? (8-15-03) Car pooling has pluses, negatives, riders say (10-14-01) Frequently asked questions about Vanpool

Miller said Sebelius’ plan was not well thought-out.

“This is part panic to cut the budget, and it’s politics. This plan does not delve deeply into facts and figures,” she said.

Notices about the plan were sent to van riders earlier this month — not in November as reported last week.