TDM Toolbox

Mitigation Calculator

Subsector: Trip Reduction Programs
Employer Commute Reduction Programs
VMT Reduction Potential: 4
Cost: 3
ROI: 4
StanCOG Relevancy: 3
Land Use Content: Urban, Suburban
Trip Type: Commute
Scale: Regional, Community, Site
Timing: Short Term (1-3 years)
Implementors-Private: Educational Institutions, Employers, Property Managers, Transportation Management Associations (TMAs)/Transportation Management Organizations (TMOs)
Implementors-Public: Regional Agencies, School Districts, Transit Agencies
References: California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (2024), StanCOG Congestion Management Process, StanCOG StanisCruise Program, StanCOG Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy

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

  • Conduct targeted outreach to major employers and employment centers throughout Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Patterson, and other Stanislaus communities.
  • Use StanisCruise to provide employer-specific carpool and vanpool matching and multimodal trip-planning services.
  • Develop standardized employer commute surveys to establish baseline commute mode share and identify employee transportation needs.
  • Promote transit subsidies, vanpool incentives, bicycle benefits, telework, and compressed work schedules through employer TDM programs.
  • Partner with chambers of commerce and major employers to establish regional commuter challenges and recognition programs.
  • Prioritize vanpool and rideshare services for large employment centers and shift-based industries where conventional transit service may not align with work schedules.
  • Provide employers with standardized tools for tracking participation, mode shift, and estimated VMT reductions.
  • Work with local agencies to adopt TDM ordinances that require large employers to participate in a TDM program.

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:

Linked Strategies

Equity Considerations

Include incentives for workers without access to private vehicles, and prioritize vanpool programs for warehouse, agricultural, and service industry staff.

Funding Sources

Employer commute programs require staff resources for program development, outreach, incentives, and monitoring. StanCOG’s CMAQ program provides an established funding source for rideshare, vanpool, and TDM activities. Additional funding may be available through Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants and employer contributions.

Examples/Case Studies

Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program

The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees within the Bay Area Air District’s nine-county jurisdiction to register and offer employees at least one qualifying commuter benefit. Options include a pre-tax transit or vanpool benefit, an employer-provided transit or vanpool subsidy, employer-provided shuttle or vanpool service, an alternative commuter benefit that reduces single-occupancy vehicle trips, or a company-wide telework policy for eligible employees. Employers must designate a program coordinator, notify employees of the available benefits, maintain implementation records, and update their registration annually.