Description
Employer commute reduction programs encourage employees to reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle commutes by promoting active transportation, carpooling, ridesharing, telework, and compressed workweeks. The menu of options for employer TDM programs include:
- Competitions and rewards: gamification of sustainable commute options.
- Commuter tax benefits: use pre-tax income to pay for eligible transit, vanpool, or parking expenses, reducing their taxable income.
- Priority parking for rideshare vehicles.
- Employee cash-out incentive: offers workers the option to receive a financial incentive in lieu of a free or subsidized parking space.
- Subsidized non-single occupancy modes such as vanpools and bicycle benefits.
- Use ride matching software branded to the company with a company only login such that employees are matched with other companies.
- Provide on-site childcare, healthcare, and restaurant/cafeteria facilities to reduce midday trips.
- Implement telework or alternative work schedules to reduce vehicle trips to the employer facility.
- Provide on-site showers, secure bicycle parking and maintenance facilities
- Conduct commute preference surveys and match services to employee preferences.
Implementation Details
- Collaborate with the Desert Valley Business Association, Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership to conduct employer outreach and improve participation rates in regional events.
- Integrate commute reduction requirements into development agreements and business licensing processes for large employers.
- Distribute telework, compressed workweek, and vanpool promotional toolkits through regional HR forums and chambers of commerce.
- Work with SunLine Transit to expand and promote the SolVan vanpool program, including tailored onboarding packets for HR managers.
- Provide access to commute tracking platforms for participating employers to monitor mode shifts and earn incentives.
- Coordinate with the Air District to track VMT reductions through employer based commute reduction programs.
- Offer staffing resources to employers or coordinate with Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) to expand the IE Commuter program.
- Create a valley-wide gamified challenge among major employers, with rewards for reducing Single Occupancy Vehicle trips.
- Assist small- and mid-sized businesses in offering commuter tax benefits by pooling administrative services through a CVAG-supported commuter benefits consortium.
- Offer free enrollment support and promotional materials to increase employer participation.
- Assist employers with commuter preference surveys to standardize data and customize strategies to specific community needs.
Mitigation Potential
Employer commute reduction programs aim to reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle commutes by incentivizing other modes of transportation. The impact on VMT will vary depending on the number of strategies utilized and how consistently they are promoted.
For more details, see the resources listed below for VMT reduction quantification:
- CAPCOA, T-5. Implement Commute Trip Reduction Program (Voluntary), pg. 83-85
- CAPCOA, T-6. Implement Commute Trip Reduction Program (Mandatory Implementation and Monitoring), pg. 86-88
- CAPCOA, T-8. Provide Ridesharing Program, pg. 92-94
- CAPCOA, T-10. Provide End-of-Trip Bicycle Facilities, pg. 100-103
- CAPCOA, T-11. Provide Employer-Sponsored Vanpool, pg. 104-108
- CAPCOA, T-12. Price Workplace Parking, pg. 109-112
- CAPCOA, T-13. Implement Employee Parking Cash-Out, pg. 113-115
- CALTRANS SB743 Program Mitigation Playbook, Telecommuting, pg. 33
- CALTRANS SB743 Program Mitigation Playbook, Schedule-shifting, pg. 34
Linked Strategies
- Air District Coordination
- Guaranteed Ride Home Programs
- Marketing Campaigns and Educational Events
- Mobility Wallets
- Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Payment Technology
- Monetary Rewards and Supplies for Active Transportation
- Provide End-of-Trip Bicycle Facilities
- Regional Transportation Management Association (TMA)
- TDM Ordinance and Policy Development
- Traveler Information (511)
- Vanpool Subsidies
Equity Considerations
Include incentives for workers without access to private vehicles, and prioritize vanpool programs for warehouse, agricultural, and service industry staff.
Funding Sources
Require start-up resources to implement new policies and transition work habits as well as an ongoing revenue source to fund staffing and management of the program. The cost can be shared amongst employers if there are multiple employers located on one campus or within close proximity. The Commuter Assistance Program and the IE Commuter Employer Services Program offered by RCTC includes employer assistance.
Examples/Case Studies
IECommuter
This program supported by the Riverside County Transportation Commission and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority is focused on promoting sustainable transportation and alleviating traffic congestion, stress, and pollution in the Inland Empire region of California. The program offers various incentives to encourage commuting using alternative modes of transportation such as buses, trains, carpools, vanpools, telework, biking, and walking.
OCTA Vanpool and Employer Services
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) facilitates employer-based commute programs through vanpool matching, HR engagement, and guaranteed ride home services