Best Workplaces for Commuters^SM Success Stories

More and more employers are distinguishing themselves from the competition by adopting outstanding commuter benefits. Review these success stories to learn what makes each of their programs unique.

[A] [B] [C] [D] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [P] [S] [T] [U] [W]

[A]

• Aetna US Healthcare, San Ramon, California. More than 220 Aetna employees participated in the rideshare program at Aetna's West Region headquarters in San Ramon, California in 2000. Most of the participating employees carpooled five days a week and earned extra paid time off as a result. The highlight of Aetna's San Ramon rideshare program is the opportunity for employees to earn up to 5 days of paid time off each year by using a commute alternative. Aetna's rideshare benefits also include free bus passes, a Guaranteed Ride Home, free shuttle rides, preferred parking, bicycle parking, showers, and lockers. The program is successful because it is actively promoted and employees value the incentives.
  
  
• Alaska Airlines, Seattle, Washington. As an employer of more than 10,000 people, Alaska Airlines is committed to helping employees achieve a healthy balance between work and home life. Encouraging ridesharing and the use of rapid transit helps employees reduce the stress of their daily commutes and cut their commute costs. Alaska Airlines introduced the FlexPass program to employees in the Seattle area at the beginning of this year. The Flex-Pass program is a multi-option transportation benefit that provides free transit on buses, commuter trains, monthly subsidies for car and vanpools and a Home Free Guarantee. As a responsible corporate citizen, Alaska Airlines is committed to help "Unlock the Gridlock" in the Puget Sound area, which has the second-highest traffic volume in the nation.
  
  
• Aspen Club & Spa, Aspen, Colorado. The Aspen Club & Spa is a year-round destination for both tourists and residents. As such, the facility generates a fair amount of traffic in a mostly residential area. The company has taken a proactive approach to mitigating this traffic by partnering with the City of Aspen to create a new shuttle service. The Cross Town Shuttle connects the Aspen Club to downtown Aspen, a ski mountain and several hotels. After just 2 years, the shuttle has become one of the town's most popular services. The club's human resources manager actively promotes transportation alternatives to all new hires as well as long-term employees. The success of the program's marketing efforts was recently shown at an alternative transportation event when the club's parking lot was found completely empty.
  
  
• Aspen Skiing Company, Aspen, Colorado. Aspen Skiing Company, the largest employer in Aspen, is on the forefront of providing transit alternatives to its employees and guests. The company pays $1.2 million per year (a 100 percent subsidy) to provide free skier shuttles running between all four of its mountains. More than 300,000 riders, including employees, use the busses each winter season. Employees utilizing routes outside the ski areas are offered bus passes subsidized at a discount rate of 75 percent. To discourage auto use, the company charges for parking at all but one of its ski mountains. The free parking lot at Buttermilk Mountain serves as a hub for skiers who park and catch a shuttle to another ski area.
  
  
• Aspen Sports, Aspen, Colorado. As one of Aspen's premier outdoor equipment and outfitting retailers, Aspen Sports is uniquely concerned with environmental preservation. Clean rivers for fishing, pristine mountains for skiing, and clean air for everyone are at the core of Aspen Sports' transportation program. Aspen Sports was one of the charter members of Aspen's transportation networking group and remains one of the most committed. High-level management attend every meeting, advocate for transportation improvements, and financially support promotional events. The company provides free bus passes to all employees, and offers no free parking. Aspen Sports also takes an active role in the education of locals and visitors alike.
  
  
• City of Aspen, Colorado. The City of Aspen is inherently concerned with preserving Aspen's small-town character by keeping traffic congestion and air pollution at a minimum. The city has a comprehensive free transit system that provides frequent and convenient services. Internally, the city offers employees numerous transportation incentives, including free bus passes, emergency transportation, and a financial reward for employees who give up their drive-alone commute. A new car-sharing program has provided additional options to both city employees and local residents. For health-conscious employees, the city encourages walking and biking by providing lockers and showers, as well as a city bike fleet.

[B]

• City of Boulder, Colorado. The City of Boulder offers tax-free Eco Pass bus passes to all of its standard employees at no cost. Employees are offered free parking for participating in vanpools or carpools and other incentives to ride bicycles to work. Vanpool matching is also provided through the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and will soon be accessible through the city's IntraWeb site. Employees are offered the use of city vehicles to use for meetings if they have used alternative transportation to commute to work, and some departments allow employees to use their vanpool vehicle for personal errands as well. The City of Boulder has a formal teleworking policy, offers flextime, variable work hour schedules to employees, and is planning to reinstate a program involving a city employee transportation coordinator that educates city employees about their commute options. The city is also considering starting a transportation allowance program and completing a study that will indicate what transit services connect various work sites so that transportation for all multi-company meeting attendees can be coordinated.

[C]

• California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), Sacramento, California. CalPERS is expanding its Employee Alternative Commute Program as part of its commitment to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. CalPERS encourages its employees in the Sacramento region to use alternative means of getting to work, other than driving alone. Thirty-three percent of employees use alternate commuting methods. CalPERS aims to have 44 percent of its employees using alternate commuting methods by 2003. Program elements highlight the many options and opportunities for CalPERS employees, including 75 percent transit subsidies, significant cost savings, light rail shuttle service, free Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH Program) in the event of an emergency, commute mentors, and online ridematching. Comprehensive on-site services and amenities, including a sundry store, locker and shower room facilities, and secure bicycle parking support this ongoing employee program.
  
  
• Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Seattle has the second-worst traffic in the nation. To help ease congestion and get its employees to work on time, Children's Hospital has implemented a program of incentives vs. disincentives. The Hospital fully subsidizes all non-SOV commute modes. These range from the traditional bus and vanpool options to Seattle's Water Taxi, and even rollerblading. Staff that drive alone pay parking fees and must park off campus in one of the Hospital's Park & Ride Lots. This two-pronged approach has worked well. On any given day, Children's Hospital averages 35 percent of employees that commute in a way other than alone in a car.
  
  
• C-TRAN, Vancouver, Washington. Although no longer required to participate in Washington State's Commute Trip Reduction Program, C-TRAN voluntarily participates and promotes commuter options for its employees. Employees of C-TRAN, as well as their dependents, receive a bus pass valid in Clark County, Washington, and the Portland Metropolitan area in Oregon. Employees using alternative modes of transportation can earn points in the company's Commuter Cash incentive program, which can be exchanged for gift certificates at local retail stores. Additionally, employees that choose to bike to work can use the covered bike lockers at the C-TRAN work sites. Employees that choose to carpool have access to preferred parking. Rideshare participants can also rest easy knowing that C-TRAN has a Guaranteed Ride Home program that provides free taxi service for employees using alternate forms of transportation and who need emergency transportation home or to some other destination during the workday.

[D]

• Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS), Columbus, Ohio. Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Columbus Center offers its 2,400 employees an opportunity to choose alternative forms of commuting in addition to driving alone. More than 50 employees commuting to work in a vanpool or bus are provided up to $65 in addition to their salary. Separate parking for van and carpool vehicles, compressed work schedules and shuttles are just some of the programs and conveniences the DFAS Columbus Center offers to eliminate cars on the roads. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) RideSolutions program has been instrumental in the success of the DFAS Columbus program. In an ongoing attempt to increase participation in alternative transportation, DFAS partners with MORPC to bring ridesharing information to its employees. The "Skip a Trip for Cleaner Air" program has begun, and DFAS looks forward to additional partnering opportunities to attain and surpass the 14 percent participation.

[G]

• Genencor International Inc., Palo Alto, California. Genencor has successfully raised awareness and commitment among its employees as demonstrated by its 33 percent participation rate via public transportation. This is a key factor in Genencor obtaining one of the lowest turnover rates in the biotechnology industry (8.5 percent vs. 22 percent industry average). As part of its commute benefits package, Genencor offers options such as its CarLink II program, which makes cars available for employee use during the day for medical appointments, to run errands, or for emergencies. Genencor also offers the Eco Pass and Commuter Checks. The Eco Pass gives the employee free rides on San Francisco Bay Area public transit. Commuter Checks are given to employees participating in vanpools, or for modes of transportation that do not fall under the Eco Pass umbrella. Genencor provides employees on-site bicycles for local transportation during the workday as well as on-site bike lockers and bike racks. The company also holds on-site transportation fairs and offers public transportation maps and information to keep employees up-to-date on company-sponsored commute benefits.
  
  
• Georgia Power/Southern Company, Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Power/Southern Company in Atlanta offers a variety of commuting options, including subsidized transit and vanpool, carpool incentives, and teleworking. Evolving from a handful of employees riding mass transit and participating in vanpools in 1997, there are currently 50 vanpools involving more than 500 employees and more than 300 employees riding mass transit. A significant number of employees carpool, telework, work compressed schedules, work at alternative locations and use electric vehicles on their commutes. An employee shuttle is provided between the headquarters buildings and the transit station, and electric vehicles are available for checkout to Smart Ride participants needing transportation during the day. Smart Ride participants are also eligible for Commute Connection's Guaranteed Ride Home program. The program is now spreading into outlying regional operations buildings, the customer care center, and the general services headquarters.

[H]

• City of Henderson, Nevada. Located in Clark County, the city of Henderson, Nevada, is the fastest growing city in the United States. With 1,000 new residents every month, its population has increased by more than 3,000 percent in the last 50 years. Both Henderson’s city government and its residents recognize that its spectacular growth is leading to significant challenges in maintaining an efficient transportation network; in a recent survey, 89 percent of residents indicated that reducing traffic congestion was either “very important” or “extremely important.”
  
  Taking the lead to get cars off the road, the City of Henderson offers its employees a compressed work week, subsidized transit passes, preferred parking, emergency ride home services, commuting awards programs, rideshare matching opportunities, and more. The city works closely with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) to promote the Club Ride Commuter Services to employers throughout Henderson. The city and RTC have also partnered to increase transit ridership and increase the number of bus routes that serve the city. In 2002 and 2003, RTC recognized the city of Henderson as “Employer of the Year” for the city’s participation in the Club Ride Commuter Services Program.
  
  Through its commuter benefits programs, the city of Henderson demonstrates a concern for its citizens, their quality of life, and the environment. Mary Kay Peck, Henderson’s community development director, appreciates the city’s efforts. “We've received tremendous support for the commuter programs from our City Council and from our city employees. This level of support represents a citywide commitment to preserving and enhancing the quality of life in our community."
  
  Best Workplaces for Commuters^SM certification adds value to the city of Henderson’s traffic-reduction programs. A nationally-recognized mark of excellence, membership on the Best Workplaces for Commuters^SM signifies the city’s commitment to its residents and businesses.
  

• Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Valley, California. Silicon Valley-based Hewlett-Packard offers an extensive range of commuter benefits to its employees. These include Valley Transportation ECOPasses, which offer free fares on all Santa Clara County buses and lightrail; financial incentives such as monthly transit subsidies for all other transit systems; an Emergency Ride Home Program; carpool parking; bicycle lockers; easy access to a commute Web site; dedicated e-mail and phone for commuter assistance; and Bike-to-Work Day refreshment stations staffed by Hewlett-Packard volunteers.

[I]

• ICF Consulting, Fairfax, Virginia. ICF Consulting is the first employer in the Washington, DC, area to join Best Workplaces for Commuters^SM. The program covers 700 employees at ICF Consulting, reducing the number of cars driven to and from work. ICF Consulting will offer its employees a variety of commuting options, including transit subsidies, Guaranteed Ride Home when needed for users of public transit or car pools, and promotion and support of alternative commuting—e.g., biking, walking, car pooling.
  
  
• Interurban Transit Partnership—"The Rapid," Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Rapid was excited to be a charter member of Best Workplaces for Commuters. It currently offers many non-SOV commute options and support services, including: free transportation on The Rapid's fixed-route service for employees, carpool matching, vanpooling programs, bike lockers, showers, personal lockers, and on-site fleet cars for business meetings during the day The Rapid supports new and inventive ways for its employees to commute to work and is looking forward to increasing the number of employees who use an alternative form of commuting.

[J]

• Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, California. At its headquarters in Sunnyvale, Juniper Networks employees benefit from a number of commute options. For example, all employees enjoy pre-tax benefits for taking transit and vanpools; bicycling, walking, carpooling and vanpool support; preferential parking for carpoolers; transit shuttles; a Guaranteed Ride Home program; and notice of transit options. Eco Passes, which provide free use of participating bus and light rail programs, soon will be available to all employees. In addition, Juniper has taken a lead role in the formation of a Business and Transportation Association—the Moffett Park BTA—with other large employers including Lockheed Martin, Yahoo!, and Network Appliance to address transportation issues on a broader scale. Juniper employees overwhelmingly support the program, which continues to see increasing levels of participation. Juniper has set a very aggressive trip reduction goal of 20 percent over a 2-year period.

[K]

• Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente has supported employee rideshare programs for more than 12 years. Currently in California, approximately 25 to 30 percent of its employees participate in a commute alternative. During the first 6 months of 2001, this percentage grew larger due to the success of two new programs. Kaiser Permanente began offering the Commuter Choice Tax Benefit Program in the middle of 2000. Since then, employee participation in Northern California has increased by 52 percent. In addition, the company experienced a severe parking shortage in its Oakland Divisional Offices. To overcome this burden, those offices began an aggressive carpool matching and preferential parking campaign. Kaiser Permanente doubled the number of carpool parking spaces, reducing the criteria from three to two riders and advertised in elevators and hallways. This increased the number of participating carpool vehicles by 200 percent. Many new spaces opened for staff and visitors. By working in initiative with other businesses and sharing information, Kaiser Permanente continues to effectively solve and strategically plan for evolving commuter issues.
  

[L]

• Los Angeles World Airports, Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is a self-supporting department within the City of Los Angeles. LAWA owns and operates a world-class system of four airports comprised of Los Angeles International, Ontario International, Palmdale Regional, and Van Nuys. LAWA's program currently comprises 60 custom vanpools, 25 carpools, public transit incentives, various marketing activities, andquarterly special events. This voluntary program is unsurpassed by any public and private employer in the region. LAWA's Vanpool Program alone saves more than 4.8 million commute miles per year, approximately 350,000 gallons of gasoline annually, thousands of dollars in insurance and vehicle depreciation costs, and countless hours spent on Southern California's over-burdened freeways.
  
  LAWA recently received two 2001 Diamond Awards for innovation and comprehensive marketing of its employee rideshare program from a coalition of leading Southern California rideshare organizations. The awards were presented by co-sponsors Southern California Rideshare (the nation's largest commute assistance agency and a division of the Southern California Association of Governments); the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Association; and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. The Airport's Rideshare Program previously earned a number of other major honors, including the 1998 Southern California Association of Government's Award for Excellence, " the Clean Air Award" in both 1990 and 1997 from the South Coast Air Quality Management District; and the "Governor's Transportation Award" from the state in 1990.

[M]

• Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), Columbus, Ohio. Since the mid-eighties, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has operated a rideshare program called RideSolutions that provides carpooling, vanpooling and transit programs to employers and commuters throughout an 11-county region. MORPC, which has a staff of 80 employees, supports modes of transportation that will reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles on the roads. In an effort to support commute options other than driving alone to work, the company has implemented several commuter benefits for its staff. These include: paying more than half the cost of monthly transit passes, offering telework options, compressed work schedules, providing on-site facilities to accommodate bicycles and providing a free ridematching service for those interested in carpooling. MORPC also encourages walking to work, when possible, and to nearby restaurants during lunch hour.
  

[N]

• Nike Inc., Beaverton, Oregon. Through its TRAC program (Traveling Responsibly via Alternative Commuting), Nike provides monthly and quarterly random drawings for prizes to employees commuting by means other than a single occupancy vehicle. About 15 monthly winners and nearly 70 quarterly winners bring home prizes value from nearly $20 to $400. Prizes include gift certificates, AAA Plus annual memberships, maid service for a day, and weekend getaways for two at the beach or the nearby ski resort.
  


• NOS Communications, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas-based NOS Communications, Inc. is very pleased with the success of its Flexi-fare Program. NOS subsidizes 100% of the cost of the Flexi-fare passes. By offering participation in Flexi-fare, NOS has been able to add a new employee benefit that enriches its benefits package and increases employee retention. It also allows the company to take advantage of the payroll tax savings provided by IRS regulations. Not only has it provided an easy, stress free and inexpensive transportation alternative for its employees, but they are also more aware of air quality and traffic congestion issues in the community. The program has also improved employee attendance by offering a reliable means of transportation. The Flexi-fare transit passes offered in the Las Vegas area use magnetic card reading technology, which tracks and records each trip taken on the bus. The passes are good for one year and employers that subsidize their employees' transit expenses are only charged for transit trips actually taken (in contrast to purchasing a standard pass for a preset amount and good for only a month).
  

[P]

• City of Palo Alto, California. The City of Palo Alto offers an Employee Commute Program that consists of Commuter Checks for employees that use public transit. Employees can earn up to $40 per month towards transit passes. The City of Palo Alto also offers a $30 monthly cash incentive (taxable) to employees that carpool to the work site. Employees that walk or bicycle to work are given a $20 monthly cash incentive (taxable) for their commute mode. Employees must use the non-SOV commute mode at least 60 percent of their scheduled days to qualify for the program. The City of Palo Alto also has four vanpools that come to the city from the East Bay and Central Valley. Vanpool riders receive $60 per month in Commuter Checks. Employees qualify for the incentives if they work full-time, and are eligible for benefits. Employees that are not benefits eligible who use an alternate commute mode are encouraged to turn in a commute log and enter a drawing to win a prize each month.
  

• Philips Medical Systems/Philips Ultrasound, Bothell, Washington. Philips Ultrasound is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing, distribution, and service of diagnostic medical ultrasound systems and is a part of Philips Medical Systems. Philips Medical Systems is a leading supplier of diagnostic imaging systems and related services worldwide that employs more than 11,000 people in more than 100 countries. Philips Medical Systems offers the Reduction Program for all Bothell-based employees. These services include: carpool, vanpool, transit ridematch services, various subsidies, preferred parking, a Guaranteed Ride Home program, lockable bike lockers, shower facilities, monthly e-mail distribution, and Rideshare boards. Philips Ultrasound has 23 vanpools arriving to the property daily.
  
  
• Pitkin County, Aspen, Colorado. Pitkin County's offices are located in the heart of Aspen. These essential services and the employees that provide them can create significant traffic on downtown streets. As part of its environmental commitment, Pitkin County offers a comprehensive employee transportation program. Free bus passes and a Guaranteed Ride Home service are incredibly popular among county staff. The transportation program is managed by the County's human resources department, which ensures that all new employees are informed of their commute options during orientation and throughout the year. Transportation display boards, regular newsletter articles and periodic e-mails are used to spread the alternative transportation message.
  
  
• Pixar Animation Studios, Emeryville, California. In December 2000, Pixar moved from its Point Richmond facility to its new headquarters and production facilities in Emeryville. As the move date approached, many employees began to express concern that the new facility was not as accessible as the old Point Richmond facility and that many employees would be affected by increased traffic congestion in and around Emeryville. To allay those concerns, Pixar developed a comprehensive Commute Benefit Program including an Emergency Ride Home program, participation in the Emery Go-Round BART Shuttle program, real-time shuttle arrival information via the Web, a $45 per month Commuter Check subsidy, a commute program intranet site with commute information and links, and free vanpool leasing. Pixar has been very pleased by the positive feedback many employees have expressed concerning the Commute Benefit Programs offered by the company. This receptivity has encouraged the company to continue its efforts to further improve its programs.
  
  
• Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), Seattle, Washington. The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) employs more than 160 employees at its Seattle headquarters, and more than 35 percent use alternate modes of transportation to commute to work. PATH's transportation benefit program is an important incentive to rideshare in Seattle, where traffic is the second-worst in the nation. All permanent Seattle employees are eligible for transportation benefits, including transit and vanpool subsidies, carpool and bicycle parking, Guaranteed Ride Home options, ridematching services, flexible schedules, and showers. In early 2001, PATH received a Rideshare Subsidy Grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation to expand its transit subsidy program to include FlexPasses: annual transit passes provided free to all permanent employees. As a result, PATH provided transit subsidies to 127 additional employees and reduced transit subsidy costs by 38 percent.

[S]

• San Mateo County Commute Alternatives Program, Redmond City, Washington. The San Mateo County Commute Alternatives Program (CAP) is dedicated to reducing traffic congestion by offering generous commute incentives to promote the use of alternate transportation modes to its employees. In the past 7 years, the program has grown to include more than 1,100 people who use this service. This program features employee public transit subsidy incentives for CalTrain, SamTrans, BART, Muni, AC Transit, and others. It also offers employee incentives to vanpool, carpool, bike or walk from home to work. It offers a carpool matching program for those who do not have a carpool partner, but are interested in carpooling; preferential parking for those who carpool daily with another county employee; and an Emergency Ride Home Program for all registered CAP users.
  
  
• Stanford University, Stanford, California. Stanford University operates a comprehensive Transportation Demand Management program that includes formal carpool and vanpool programs, designated carpool/vanpool parking spaces, rideshare matching, commute planning, information on local transportation options, Guaranteed Ride Home program, transit/rail pass sales, promotional events, commuter checks (allowing for pretax payment of vanpool and transit/rail costs), extensive bicycle facilities/infrastructure and promotion, Clean Air Cash (non-campus residents are eligible for up to $204/year if they don't drive alone to work), and use of the Marguerite (the free campus transit/shuttle system). The Marguerite is a success story worthy of note. In academic year 1994/95, the average daily ridership was 1,600. This year, the average daily ridership is 5,000 per day (more than 1.2 million annually), with about 70 percent of the ridership moving between the local train/transit centers and the campus during peak commute times. Improved service on the local commuter rail service and increased Marguerite service established a synergy that has helped triple the Marguerite ridership and brought many more commuters to campus by rail and bus.

[T]

• City of Tukwila, Washington. The City of Tukwila is one of more than 500 employers affected by the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law of 1991. The City Of Tukwila offers a comprehensive incentive program to city employees to encourage use of alternative modes of commuting. Program elements include car and vanpool cash subsidies, a Guaranteed Ride Home Program, preferential carpool parking, reimbursement for bus pass purchase and commuter bonus bucks as an extra inducement. The city also provides a cash subsidy for train riders.
  

[U]

• University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. The University of Washington first developed its Transportation Management Plan (TMP) in the 1970s in response to growing neighborhood concerns about U-District traffic. In 1991, the plan was enhanced and the U-PASS program was created to reduce the number of individual car trips to campus and to reduce the impact on neighborhood. The U-PASS program offers flexible transportation choices, along with a non-subsidized parking management program, in an effort to reduce the number of students, staff and faculty from driving alone to campus.
  
  The University subsidizes the cost of transit, which make up 29 percent of the commute trips, provided by local and regional transit agencies, Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit. To further encourage the use of commute alternatives, faculty and staff have a way home if an emergency arises: a reimbursed ride home via taxi is offered to staff and faculty pass holders at a 90 percent subsidy, up to 50 miles a quarter. Students, staff, and faculty possessing a U-PASS are provided a free Night Ride shuttle (6 p.m. to 12 a.m.) that will drop them off directly at their front door, as far as a mile off campus. Additionally, merchant discounts at local businesses have been arranged for U-PASS holders. Vendors offer up to a 25 percent discount on purchases when a U-PASS is presented. The University of Washington completes its commute reduction package by providing more than 6,000 spaces for bicycles, 362 lockers for bicycle riders, and an extensive pedestrian and bike trail system. The Transportation Office also plans to integrate a pedestrian and bike program into the fabric of the University's Campus Master Plan. Since its inception in 1991, the University's transportation program has reduced single occupancy vehicle trips to campus by 26 percent in the morning peak period.

[W]

• Washington State Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS), Olympia, Washington. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) volunteered to join Best Workplaces for Commuters for its 48 work sites in Washington State. These work sites range from 100 to 1,800 employees. The total DSHS workforce is comprised of nearly 20,000 employees. The DSHS Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Program includes financial incentives up to a maximum of $40 per month for employees who use public transit, vanpool, carpool, bicycle, or walk to work. The incentives for public transit/vanpool riders are income-tax free. (Close to $500,000 have been expended to date for all rideshare modes.) Employees are offered preferential parking spaces close to building entrances for rideshare vehicles parked at the work sites. Employees have convenient on-site amenities, such as lockers, showers, bicycle racks, and cafeterias. They are offered a compressed workweek and flexible work schedules, a Guaranteed Ride Home for non-SOV commuters if an emergency arises while at work. The program recognizes employees with awards and trophies for special CTR achievements. DSHS also conducts transportation fairs and promotional campaigns to educate employees about the benefits of rideshare.
  
  
• Westchester County, New York. Westchester County's Commute Alternatives Program in New York is an award-winning program designed to encourage companies and their employees to use public transportation or commute alternatives for their commute to work. The county government is Westchester's largest employer, and its 6,500 full-time employees and 500 part-time employees are encouraged to participate in the program, which reduces roadway congestion and air pollution. Of the 6,500 full-time County employees, over 14 percent—more than 900—are taking advantage of one or more commute options offered by the county. Westchester County offers its employees a variety of alternative commuting options, including pretax commuter benefits for using public transportation, compressed workweek, staggered (flex) work hours and teleworking.
  


• Wyeth BioPharma, Andover, Massachusetts. Wyeth BioPharma has one of the largest biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing capacities in the world. It currently employs over 2,400 people and offers one of the most generous commuter benefits in the state. In order to reduce air and global warming pollution, reduce traffic congestion, and save employees money, Wyeth provides:
  
  
  • free commuter rail and MBTA passes;
    
    
  • free door-to-door shuttle service from employee homes to work for four neighboring towns;
    
    
  • a subsidized express bus that runs four round trips daily from New Hampshire park-and-rides to Wyeth. This new service is the first ever cross-state collaboration between New Hampshire and Massachusetts for transportation direct to an employer campus;
    
    
  • progressive carpool program including preferred parking;
    
    
  • on site facilities to accommodate bicycle and walking commuters (e.g. showers, cafeteria, dry cleaning);
    
    
  • strong participation and leadership in local commuter, traffic and environmental initiatives; and
    
    
  • free emergency ride home for all commuters, to ensure they are not stranded at work if they have a family emergency or if weather conditions make it unsafe to walk/ride their bike home.