Employee Commute Options
As an employer who cares
about employee job satisfaction and our regional economy, you know you’ve got
everything to gain from supporting transportation options for your workforce.
What you may not have known is that there are many resources to help you
develop and encourage employee commute options, and you may even qualify for
state tax breaks and other financial incentives.
Popular employee commute programs include transit subsidies, rideshare matching and preferential parking for carpools and vanpools, cash in lieu of free parking, pretax benefits for using transit or ridesharing, compressed workweeks (e.g., four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days), telecommuting, Flexcar business membership, and bike/walk programs. And most companies offer a guaranteed ride home for personal emergencies for staff members who don’t drive to work.
Helping your employees put fewer miles on their cars will help curb pollution, reduce congestion – a major economic drain on our region, and reduce the stress associated being stuck in traffic. A happy employee is a productive employee! We suggest promoting small steps: “Don’t Drive One in Five” or “Join the Once a Week Club” are catchphrases for encouraging employees to leave the car at home just once a week. This can be less daunting than giving up solo car commutes altogether.
If you have several business locations, help employees work at the location closest to their home.
And don’t forget to alert employees on Clean Air Action Days. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Southwest Washington Air Pollution Control Authority issue pollution prevention advisories on hot summer days when air pollution creates especially unhealthy levels of smog. Cars are the number one source of smog, so you can help out by encouraging your employees to leave their cars at home on Clean Air Action Days. Sign up for Air Pollution Advisories.
In several areas of the Portland metro region, Transportation Management Associations have been created to help employers design employee commute option programs. These associations include:
Find links to these associations and other resources at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Employee Commute Options resource page. The Oregon Department of Energy offers Business Energy Tax Credits for a variety of employee commute programs. Find out about financial incentives and other resources for the Vancouver area at the Washington State Commute Trip Reduction Board’s website. Best Workplaces for Commuters has many great resources for implementing commuter benefits program, including information on financial benefits for employers, and provides national recognition to employers offering outstanding commuter benefits. Qualified employers get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters — a fast growing mark of excellence in environmental leadership. We invite you to peruse these resources and hope you’ll agree that alternatives to drive-alone commuting are economically beneficial and yield great value to workers, employers, and our environment.
Popular employee commute programs include transit subsidies, rideshare matching and preferential parking for carpools and vanpools, cash in lieu of free parking, pretax benefits for using transit or ridesharing, compressed workweeks (e.g., four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days), telecommuting, Flexcar business membership, and bike/walk programs. And most companies offer a guaranteed ride home for personal emergencies for staff members who don’t drive to work.
Helping your employees put fewer miles on their cars will help curb pollution, reduce congestion – a major economic drain on our region, and reduce the stress associated being stuck in traffic. A happy employee is a productive employee! We suggest promoting small steps: “Don’t Drive One in Five” or “Join the Once a Week Club” are catchphrases for encouraging employees to leave the car at home just once a week. This can be less daunting than giving up solo car commutes altogether.
If you have several business locations, help employees work at the location closest to their home.
And don’t forget to alert employees on Clean Air Action Days. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Southwest Washington Air Pollution Control Authority issue pollution prevention advisories on hot summer days when air pollution creates especially unhealthy levels of smog. Cars are the number one source of smog, so you can help out by encouraging your employees to leave their cars at home on Clean Air Action Days. Sign up for Air Pollution Advisories.
In several areas of the Portland metro region, Transportation Management Associations have been created to help employers design employee commute option programs. These associations include:
- Columbia Corridor Association
- Clackamas Regional Center Transportation Management Association
- Gresham Regional Center Transportation Management Association
- Lloyd Transportation Management Association
- Swan Island Transportation Management Association
- Troutdale Transportation Management Association
- Westside Transportation Alliance
Find links to these associations and other resources at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Employee Commute Options resource page. The Oregon Department of Energy offers Business Energy Tax Credits for a variety of employee commute programs. Find out about financial incentives and other resources for the Vancouver area at the Washington State Commute Trip Reduction Board’s website. Best Workplaces for Commuters has many great resources for implementing commuter benefits program, including information on financial benefits for employers, and provides national recognition to employers offering outstanding commuter benefits. Qualified employers get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters — a fast growing mark of excellence in environmental leadership. We invite you to peruse these resources and hope you’ll agree that alternatives to drive-alone commuting are economically beneficial and yield great value to workers, employers, and our environment.
