Monthly Report

This section provides the Bookkeeper with information on how to complete monthly bookkeeping responsibilities, from initial setup tasks to monthly reporting responsibilities.

The monthly report is where the vehicle mileage, ridership, and fare information are documented before being sent to your Accounting Rideshare Service Representative (RSR) each month. You will need a template of the monthly report (Excel).

Here are a few basics to keep in mind when completing the monthly report:

The reports are referred to by the month they are due
Only the group’s approved bookkeeper may complete the monthly report
Reports are due before the 10th of the month
Late reports may incur a $25 late fee
You can email your Accounting RSR for an extension if needed
Each monthly report will include the days traveled and mileage for the previous month but the revenue and ridership for the current month

Your Accounting RSR is available to answer questions. Please reach out to them or call 206-625-4500 if you can’t find the information you need here.

Reporting Cycles

The reporting cycle sometimes causes confusion for bookkeepers. Generally speaking, every monthly report is based on a 2-month period.

Mileage and expenses are reported for the previous month while ridership and revenue are reported for the current month. Reporting on actual miles traveled ensures that groups are accurately charged.

Requiring riders to pay for the current month of travel protects bookkeepers from having to collect fares by tracking down riders who may have left during the month.

Before you begin

Before starting to fill-out the monthly report, make sure you have the following information:

What month you are reporting revenue for (the current month)
Group Identification Number (GIN), also referred to as "Group ID" in the monthly report template
Your group’s vehicle’s size and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) number, also referred to as “van number” in the monthly report template
Approved round-trip miles (RTM), which you can find in your bookkeeper welcome email
Previous month’s actual RTM, including itemized miles if loaner vehicles were used
Previous month’s work schedule/days traveled
Any changes to the ridership roster
Payments for all riders (ORCA cards, online payments, checks, Metro Vanpool passes, vouchers, money orders)

Monthly report: step by step

The monthly report has 7 sections that need to be completed. It’s important that you complete all sections in order from 1 through 6, as information from earlier sections will be used to auto populate later ones.

The Bookkeeper Tutorial video also walks through how to complete the report.

Screenshot of the Monthly Report template

The monthly report template includes 3 tabs, which can be found in the lower left corner:

Monthly Report (green)
The main page containing the 7 reporting sections: month, trip information, mileage, rate, rider roster, and fare payments.
Fare Calculator (yellow)
Calculates individual fare based on the number of riders and group fixed rate.
FAQs and Forms (red)
Provides answers to common questions that may come up as you are completing the monthly report, as well as links to related bookkeeping forms. If you have questions not covered by the FAQ, please reach out to your Accounting RSR.

The Monthly Report tab includes many color coded boxes:

Blue boxes
Where you will enter data or select from among available pre-set options. If there are pre-set options to choose from, clicking on the blue box will show a grey arrow to the right of the box. Click that arrow to reveal the pre-set options and choose the appropriate option.
Gray boxes
These will be filled in automatically when you open the report or as you complete various sections of the report.
Boxes with red triangles
The triangles are visible in the upper right corners. Hovering your cursor over these red triangles will reveal an explanation of the box’s function or provide guidance for what information to enter.

Section 1: Revenue month

Select Revenue Month
Use the drop-down menu to choose the current month, which will auto-populate the month values for the report.

Group ID
Also known as the GIN, the Group ID will be assigned to you and can be found in your bookkeeper welcome email.

Van Number
Also known as the HOV number, the van number is the 6-digit number found on the front or back of your vehicle.

Bookkeeper Name
Add your full name in the fourth blue box.

Section 2: Trip information

In this section, you will enter your vehicle’s trip information for the previous month, including RTM and total days traveled. Days traveled should not exceed your work schedule’s monthly total of days. Refer to your bookkeeper’s welcome email for more information.

RTM (Round Trip Miles)
Use the drop-down menu to choose your group's approved daily RTM. Your group’s RTM is the number of miles traveled on a typical commuting day and then rounded up to the next 5-mile increment.

Vanshare groups are limited to a daily 20-mile round trip.

Days Traveled
Use the drop-down menu to choose the number of days your vehicle was used for commuting purposes for the month.

Maintenance Shuttle
If your regular vehicle was taken in for maintenance, enter the number of miles to and from the maintenance garage. If the vehicle was not taken in for service, this box will stay at 0.

Other
Enter the number of miles related to approved trips for vehicle logistics, like trips to and from the vehicle distribution center. Briefly describe these miles in the Comment Box in Section 3.

In the Unused/Excess Miles field, a negative number means the vehicle drove within the allowed limit with no additional charges. A positive number means the vehicle exceeded the allowable miles and the driver will be charged 60 cents per additional mile. You will see these charges automatically calculated in Section 6.

Section 3: Van mileage

In this section, you’ll enter the miles your vehicle was driven during the previous month, calculated from the beginning mileage and ending mileage of all vehicles your group used the previous month. Mileage information comes from odometer readings provided by your group’s driver.

Ending Mileage (Primary Van)
Enter the odometer reading of your vehicle on the last day of the previous month. Be sure to work with the driver to record this number when the vehicle is done being used on the last workday of the month.

Beginning Mileage (Primary Van)
Enter the Ending Mileage from the previous monthly report. For example, the beginning mileage for your June report will be the ending mileage from your May report.

Loaner Van #
If you used a loaner vehicle at any time during the previous month, include that vehicle’s number, along with the ending and beginning mileage values for those vehicles from the previous month.

Comment Box
If you entered any miles under Itemized Miles - Other from Section 2, be sure to list the reasons for those extra miles.

Section 4: Fixed rate for [Month]

This section calculates the fixed rate for your group based on your van size, RTM and schedule. If your group has changed anything, such as your route or schedule, please contact your Accounting RSR and update accordingly.

The monthly fixed rate for every Vanshare group is $200.

RTM (Round-Trip Miles)
Use the drop down menu to choose your approved daily RTM. If you find that your actual RTM is significantly above or below the approved daily RTM, you may need to review the group’s RTM to consider changes. Contact ROCustomerSupport@kingcounty.gov with the proposed route.

Work Schedule
Use the drop down menu to choose the weekly schedule for your group. For example, 5-day a week, 4-day a week, etc.

Van Size
Use the drop down menu to choose the size of the vehicle you are using. Vehicles can be 5-, 7-, 12-, or 15-passenger size.

Section 5: Rider roster

This is where all the required information for the riders in your group is entered, including payment methods and fare amounts.

Rider Information
Enter each rider’s name and their employer’s name. If a group participant rides fewer than half the weekly trips or less than half the distance, note that by adding an "x" in the Part-Time column. You can determine a part-time rider’s fare using the Fare Calculator.

If your riders have an ORCA Business Passport/U-Pass or a Monthly Vanpool Pass, enter their card’s 8- or 19-digit number into the ORCA Card Number field. Please note that you cannot cut and paste ORCA card numbers into the boxes. These numbers need to be entered manually.

Rider's start or end date
If a group participant joins or leaves the group, include the date they’ve left or joined. For any riders who leave, please do not include their name and information on future reports.

Monthly fare
Go to the Fare Calculator tab on the lower left portion of the monthly report to find the fares for each full-time and regular part-time riders. You may need to adjust a rider’s fare by a few cents in order to balance.

See Monthly fares for details on how to use the fare calculator and how to find fares for occasional part-time riders.

Payment type
Riders can use multiple payment methods for their monthly fares. Enter the individual amounts paid by the different payment types for each rider.

ORCA Passport/U-Pass: Enter the dollar amount in the space provided.
Monthly Vanpool Pass: The current value of the Monthly Vanpool Pass cannot exceed the rider's actual monthly fare. When the value of the pass is less than the fare, the participant writes a check to the bookkeeper for the difference or pays their balance online. The bookkeeper completes the row for the ride and records the additional payment information. When the value is greater than the monthly fare, the value up to the amount of the monthly fare may be used.
Voucher, online and/or personal check: Enter the dollar amount in the space provided. Online payments that are processed through myORCA.com do not need an ORCA card number.

At the bottom of the Rider Roster, next to Rider Count, you’ll see the number of riders in your Vanpool group for the month, along with subtotals and totals for the fare payments received.

The total at the bottom of Section 5 under Monthly Fare should match the Vanpool group’s fixed rate, and the fixed rate number should match the Payment Total.

When a new rider joins your group

If a new rider joins the group after a monthly report has been submitted, they will be listed on the next monthly report on 2 lines; once to account for the first partial month and once to account for the current month. For the first partial month, new riders will pay daily fares for the number of days they rode. For the current and future months, they will pay the appropriate fares based on the ridership status (full time, part time, or occasional).

See the FAQ tab in the monthly report template for additional guidance on how to add a new rider.

When a rider departs

Riders are required to provide a 15-day notice if they plan to leave the group. If a rider leaves the group at the end of the month, list them on the monthly report and indicate their termination date. To alert Metro to their departure, do not include ORCA card number or fare information. If a rider plans to depart mid-month, the monthly fare would be prorated using the daily fares.

Waiving driver fares

Some groups offer to cover the monthly fare of their primary driver as a courtesy. In these cases, the remaining fixed fare is split among the other participants. If your group chooses this option, please let your Accounting RSR know.

Section 6: Revenue for [Month]

Fixed Rate
Enter the fixed rate from Section 4.

Late Fee
If you’re submitting your monthly report after the 10th of the month and your Accounting RSR has not approved an extension for the delay, add the $25 late fee in the space provided here.

+/- Monthly Report Adjustment
Report any balances owed or credited.

Other
Enter fares paid by money order.

You will see the amount you need to send to your Accounting RSR next to the Balance Due.

Section 7: How to pay

Monthly reports are due by the 10th of the month. If you need additional time to complete your monthly report, be sure to email your Accounting RSR about the delay as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will be charged a $25 late fee.

This section provides information for 2 different ways you can pay the Vanpool group’s monthly fares and submit the completed monthly report:

Online payment and email report
Pay the fares online at myORCA.com and email the monthly reports directly to your Accounting RSR.
Mail check and printed report
Pay the monthly fare with a check, including your Group ID (GIN) as a memo. Mailing the check and a copy of the monthly report to the address provided in the lower right-hand corner of the Monthly Report tab.

Mailing address
Rideshare Operations
KSC-TR-0812
201 S. Jackson St
Seattle, WA 98104

Do you need a myORCA.com account?

MyORCA.com is an online payment portal that both individual riders and group bookkeepers may use to pay their fares. Individuals can use myORCA.com to purchase Monthly Metro Vanpool Pass or pay their Vanpool fare online via credit card (no ORCA card needed).

Some groups may decide to have the bookkeeper use myORCA.com to process a group payment and then have group members reimburse the bookkeeper. Read the online payment section of Fare payments for a detailed walkthrough.

Monthly Report Adjustments

Your Accounting RSR will review your reports and payments each month. That review may require that an adjustment be made. If so, your Accounting RSR will send out a Monthly Report Adjustment letter that will detail the reporting issue and request you either make a payment or take a credit when completing the next monthly report.

Thank You!

Thank you for being a key part of the Vanpool community as a bookkeeper. Remember, you’re a vital part of keeping our wheels turning smoothly. Should any questions arise, don’t hesitate to reach out to your friendly Accounting RSR—they’re here to help you navigate with confidence.

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