Yet most cities have rudimentary transit systems, and some are actually pretty good. They just need more riders and more serious backing from business and city planners. Learn how to encourage your employees to get on the bus or train, and how it can add up to happier employees and better cities.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Get educated
It will be hard to pry the steering wheels from the fingers of your die-hard drivers. Convince them slowly with common-sense statistics and usable information.I recommend: There are a number of advocacy groups on the Web, including the American Public Transportation Association, which has a great map link to transit systems around the country, and public interest research group Center for Transportation Excellence.
The government wants you to ditch the car
It's a less-known tax rule, but workers can take money out of their paycheck pre-tax to pay for transit costs.I recommend: Your local transit system will have plenty of information on how to implement a subsidized mass transit program for your employees. See a summary of employer benefits at the government affairs page of the APTA, and then go to CommuterChoice to find detailed program information by major U.S. metro.
Set up an employer-based ride share program
If buses are unreliable and trains non-existent, you can offer your employees access to shared rides through the Web.I recommend: Most major transit systems have carpool and vanpool programs, but you can also join NuRide, a Web site that matches potential ride shares. Another option in big cities is Zipcar, which goes the other way: Most participants do not own cars and instead occasionally use cars in common. If this all seems wacky, show your employees their annual cost of commuting the old-fashioned way using this RideWorks calculator.
Use your enlightened transit policy to recruit
Over and over, salary is shown to be the worst motivator for most workers. Knowing they work for a progressive company, one that thinks to provide non-cash benefits like transit assistance, can do a lot when it comes to retaining key employees.I recommend: Once you have a transit program in place, get it recognized by Best Workplaces for Commuters, a U.S. government sponsored program that rates commuting policies of employers. The site has tons of resources, like emissions and cost-saving calculators, too.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Lead the way. If you absolutely cannot participate, it will be a hard sell for your managers. You needn't take mass transit every day to set a good example, just enough to show you are serious about it.
- Don't have time to worry about commuting programs? Delegate! Find an energetic new manager looking for a project and name him or her commuting coordinator.
- Most local transit agencies participate in "emergency ride home" programs, a free taxi ride so many times a month or quarter if an employee is stranded by working late.
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