Phone Forum

May 22, 2002:
Marketing Your Commuter Benefits

On May 22, 2002, the Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative (CCLI) held a phone forum focusing on marketing commuter benefits to employees and prospective employees. Patty Klavon, EPA forum moderator, provided opening remarks and introduced the featured participants.

Featured Participant Presentations

Four Commuter Choice^® Employers shared success stories from their programs on how to market commuter choice benefits internally and externally.

Linda Bainbridge, Nike, Inc.

Linda Bainbridge has managed Nike's commuter choice program since 1994—the program was implemented in 1992. Through the program, Nike provides commuter benefits to approximately 5,000 employees at its suburban campus in Beaverton, Oregon. Nike also provides a variety of onsite amenities so that employees do not need cars during the day to run errands or get lunch.

With limited resources for marketing, the program traditionally relied on the company's Web-based newsletter and signboards in the building lobbies as the primary means of promotional outreach. An assessment of the program found that employee recognition was very low despite these marketing efforts. In response, Nike implemented a branding campaign in 2001 to raise the profile of the program. As part of the campaign, Nike held a contest to develop a new program logo and title. The new program name kept the old acronym TRAC (Traveling Responsibly via Alternative Commuting) and converted it to Traveling Responsibly--Accept the Challenge. Nike gave prizes to the winners and used the logo on its internal Web site. Nike also used the logo on a banner designed for special events, informational flyers, and buttons that employees could post in their cubicles and offices.

Nike also promotes commuter choice to new hires through an e-mail that describes the program and prominently features the logo. Nike will test employee recognition again next year, and expects to see improvement.

For more information, e-mail Ms. Bainbridge at linda.bainbridge@nike.com.

Karen Hollingsworth, Bellingham Cold Storage

Karen Hollingsworth is the education and training coordinator at Bellingham Cold Storage (BCS). BCS is a private company on Puget Sound in Washington, which has between 120 and 225 employees, seasonally variable.

BCS provides adequate free parking for all employees, which is a significant challenge to promoting commuting alternatives through its Smart Commuter Program. From 1993 to 1997, the program did not have an official coordinator, and only one employee participated. Since 1999, Ms. Hollingsworth has worked to significantly raise the program's profile and engage employees by giving them a sense of program ownership. As a result of this more focused and consistent effort, 58 employees are now enrolled.

BCS has conducted a range of activities to market the program, including:

• Giving prizes to alternative commuters suited to their mode of transport (e.g., gift certificates for shoes to walkers).
  
• Giving small recognition prizes during break periods to gain the attention and interest of other employees.
  
• Announcing the program and awarding small prizes—including movie tickets, lottery tickets, and gasoline gift certificates (for carpoolers and vanpoolers)—at the company's annual employee appreciation dinner. At the dinner, Ms. Hollingsworth also makes announcements in Spanish to reach non-English speaking employees.
  
• Hosting a "Bike or Walk to Work Day," where employees who bike or walk are greeted by cheerleaders and receive free bagels, coffee, and juice.
  
• Hosting a "Kayak, Canoe, or Rowboat Day", which functions as an informal contest where employees race across the sound in the watercraft of their choice.
  
• Hosting a "Rideshare Day" where all ridesharing employees receive a $10 gift certificate for a local gas station/market.

According to Ms. Hollingsworth, the keys to a successful commuter benefits program are having management support, particularly top-down participation that is visible to employees, and making it fun.

For more information, e-mail Ms. Hollingsworth at karen.hollingsworth@bellcold.com.

Carolyn Martin, St. Joseph Hospital

Carolyn Martin is the employee transportation coordinator at St. Joseph Hospital of Bellingham, Washington. St. Joseph's commuter choice incentive program pays any of its 1,800 employees $1.50 a day for using a commuting alternative. Employees are eligible if they use any transport method other than driving to work alone and commit to using alternative methods at least 2 days a week. When St. Joseph Hospital implemented the program in 1999, the availability of ample free parking limited participation. Construction reduced the number of spaces, which led to more interest in the program. Some spaces also became reserved as rideshare parking. St. Joseph Hospital also began to more aggressively market the program, and enrollment is now up to 330 employees, with 130 to 140 participating each month.

St. Joseph Hospital markets its program by sending promotional e-mails to all employees and placing program news and recognizing contest winners in the hospital newsletter and on its Intranet site. In addition, St. Joseph Hospital:

• Gives prizes on Bike to Work Day.
  
• Hosts a summer commuter challenge.
  
• Participates in the statewide Rideshare Week.
  
• Gives away a $25 gift certificate each month in a drawing for alternative commuters.
  
• Provides commuter choice orientation and offers assistance (i.e., help finding carpool partners or identifying bus routes) to new employees.
  
• Offers a monthly bus pass to employees at no cost.
  
• Uses an informational display.
  
• Surveys employees every 2 years to measure support.

For more information, e-mail Ms. Martin at cmartin@peacehealth.org.

Jan Ward, City of Boulder, Colorado

As the employee transportation coordinator for the City of Boulder, Jan Ward works with the city's Downtown Business Improvement District to promote commuting alternatives. The city does have a shortage of parking. To keep the downtown area healthy and attractive, the city decided to not build more parking and instead focus on promoting alternative commuting.

The city set a goal of getting employees of businesses in the district out of their cars at least two days a week. When the program started eight years ago, 35 percent of the district's 10,000 employees participated. Participation is now up to 42 percent.

To achieve its goals, the city provides a variety of commuting options and incentives and partners with local businesses, which are very supportive. Particularly significant is the Ecopass, which is good for all types of public transportation and encourages people to work downtown. The Ecopass would cost $1,200 a year if purchased by employees, but it is fully subsidized by the city and employers. Another option is the Spokes for Folks program, which provides free bicycle rentals.

Boulder markets its program by emphasizing the connection between alternative commuting and personal and community health. The city also runs a transportation resource center that serves as a central point for employees to get information, purchase passes, rent bikes, and obtain other alternative commuting related assistance. In addition, the city conducts a pedestrian foot race three nights in the summer. Through the city's efforts, alternative commuting has become a valued part of culture for those who live or work in Boulder.

For more information, e-mail Ms. Ward at wardj@ci.boulder.co.us.

Open Discussion

Following the featured speakers' presentations, other forum participants asked questions and provided additional information on some of the points discussed.

• Peter DuBois of Clark County, Washington asked for suggestions on how Clark County could best use their very limited ($500) promotional budget. Participants suggested giving small prizes (e.g., lottery tickets, movie tickets, gift certificates for gasoline) to outstanding alternative commuters or hosting a competition.
  
  
• Edward Abuor of Yahoo! Inc. shared information on some of Yahoo's successful commuter choice marketing activities, including:
  
  
  • Holding luncheons hosted by senior executives for program participants
    
  • Making employees aware of the tax saving benefits of alternative commuting
    
    
• Participants noted that there are currently no tax benefits available for bikers and walkers. For more information on this issue, visit the League of American Bicyclists Web site , which discusses H.R. 1265, "The Bike Commuter Act". This legislation would let employers give employees a $65 per month tax benefit for commuting by bike to work. Information on the tax benefits of commuter choice (281K PDF) is available on this Web site.
  
  
• Robin Rolls of Stanford University suggested that CCLI provide more resources for employers' newsletters. She said that promoting commuter choice through newsletters is an effective marketing tool, but can be difficult because of the time needed to write articles or locate and arrange for the use of other articles. In response, Patrice Thornton of EPA suggested interested employers register for the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) listserv, which is an excellent source of commuter choice related news and information. Ms. Bainbridge also suggested that participants sign up for other newsletters in their area or industry.

  To register for the TDM listserv, visit the Center for Urban Transportation Reseach (CUTR) listserv Web site (click on "subscribe to the TDM listserv").

• Joan Murphy also requested more assistance with newsletters. She suggested that the press releases EPA, Commute Connections, Clean Air Campaign, etc., send to the media could be made available to CCLI employers through a page on the CCLI Web site where an employer could find information to be included in their newsletter. That service would help employers by giving them some of the latest news without having to be concerned about copyrights and credits or permissions when reprinting articles.

  The Newsroom page has a list of articles from external publications.

• Eleonore Price of the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS) described some of the incentives DSHS uses to promote commuting alternatives, including bicycle lockers, showers, free bus passes, preferential parking for carpoolers and vanpoolers, and transportation fairs.
  
  
• Ms. Ward reminded participants to consider external grants as an additional source of funds for marketing and implementing commuter choice programs. She suggested that CCLI consider putting together a list of grants received by participants and/or a list of available grant resources.
  
  
• Ms. Klavon reminded participants that CCLI provides marketing tools, including:
  
  
  • Marketing Commuter Benefits to Employees brief (268K PDF). Employers can also obtain the brief by calling EPA's publications service at 800 499-9198.
    
  • Welcome Aboard Kit, which includes sample press releases. Contact us for copies of this kit.
    
  • access to CCLI account managers (all employers will soon be receiving a call and/or letter introducing and explaining the role of their account manager).
    
  • Commuter Choice^® Employers identifier for use by participants in marketing efforts.
    
    
• Mary Kate Cole of the City of Rockville, Maryland suggested that participants consider using "potty posters" as a promotional complement to e-mails, which are often quickly deleted. She found that posters placed behind plastic on bathroom stall doors are an effective marketing tool. Ms. Price noted that there might be health or safety considerations that need to be addressed for this activity.

CCLI National Recognition Event

Ms. Klavon shared information on the CCLI National Recognition Event that was held on May 14, 2002, in Washington, DC. EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters hosted the event. Governor Whitman noted that only five percent of U.S. commuters work for employers that provide any commuter benefits, which makes Commuter Choice Employers that meet the National Standard of Excellence the "cream of the crop" as the most progressive organizations. Ms. Klavon suggested that employers use that message in their marketing efforts. Ms. Klavon also alerted participants to the upcoming CCLI regional events in Denver on May 30 and San Francisco on June 27.

The EPA press release and the DOT press release are on the Web.

Closing

Ms. Klavon closed by thanking the featured participants for their enlightening presentations and thanking all Commuter Choice Employers for participating in the forum. She welcomed employers to provide suggestions and ideas for future forums.