# Presentation: 132535

## Best Workplaces for CommutersSM 

** ****February 24, 2004**
**National Air Quality Conference**
**Robin Snyder   **
**USEPA, Washington DC**
** ****	**

**Best Workplaces for Commuters****SM**** **

**Notes:**
Hello. I’m______ and I’m here to introduce the Best Workplaces for Commuters---a national, voluntary, EPA & DOT partnership program working with organizations across the country to advocate employee commuter benefits. I want to thank ACT for the opportunity to present this information.

## Best Workplaces for Commuters

- What’s it all about?
- What’s in it for employers?
- What’s in it for communities?
- Current status
- Plans for the future

**Notes:**
Best Workplaces for Commuters, formerly known as the Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative, is a voluntary program developed by US EPA and the US Department of Transportation. My presentation will cover the questions on the slide and I hope to have time for questions at the end. 

## Continuum of Employer-Provided

- Preferential parking for carpoolers

- Employee paid pre-tax transit voucher

- Employer paid transit subsidy

- Bike lockers

- Parking Cash-out

- Onsite amenities such as dry cleaning

- Ridematching

**Continuum of Employer-Provided**
**Commuter Benefits**

- Access to Emergency Ride Home

- Less investment

- More investment

- Many Companies

- Fewer Companies

**Notes:**
Employers offer a broad array of commuter support. EPA & DOT decided to focus this program on the high end, with an eye towards motivating all employers to ramp up the commuter benefits they provide.  

## Criteria for Best Workplaces for Commuters

- Offer commuter benefits package, including:
**ERH**
**Significant support**
**for one mode**
**Supplemental support **
**for other modes**
- Meet performance
- 	benchmark
- Report success

-   Coordinate communication (POC, centralize, outreach)

**Notes:**
To qualify as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters, employers must meet the National Standard of Excellence.
This Voluntary program is primarily activity based. We chose these criteria to promote air quality & employee benefits with a program based on simplicity & flexibility 
First, you need a person in the firm who will be the point-of-contact for the program. You also must have the information about your commuter benefits centralized in one location (it could be a file drawer, a bulletin board, or an Intranet site), and you have to actively promote your commuter benefits to your employees. (You can’t just leave the information locked in a file drawer!)
Now, here are the core program requirements: your employees must have access to a Guaranteed (or Emergency) Ride Home, you must provide one primary benefit and three supporting benefits (more on these in a moment)---but only ONE supporting benefit if you have less than 20 employees.

## Primary Option – significant support

- Choose **One**:
- Transit/vanpool subsidy ($30 or full cost)
- 		**Or**
- Telecommuting (daily 6% average)
- 		**Or**
- Parking Cash-out ($30
- or at least 75% of market
- rate)
- 		**Or**
*Employer proposal*

**Notes:**
The primary option. This is the core of your commuter benefits program, it is usually the benefit that is viewed as being most valuable by your employees. The program requires that you provide your employees with one of these benefits.
Either a transit subsidy or vanpool subsidy or cash in lieu of a parking space equal to $30 per employee per month (if you buy a monthly pass for less than $30/month, and you pay for the full cost of the pass, that will qualify, too).
Or, if you have a significant telework program and a daily average of 6% of your employees telework, you can qualify through that.
We also have a fill-in-the-blank option. If you have some other significant employee benefit (such as employer-provided shuttles to transit stations), contact us and we’ll determine whether that benefit will qualify you for the program.

## Supplemental Support

**Choose 3 ****(only 1 if < 20 employees)**
- Active membership in TMA
- Rideshare matching
- Bike lockers and showers
- Up-to-date transportation information
- Shuttles
- Allow for employee paid pre-tax transit vouchers
- Preferred parking for carpools/vanpools
- Worksite is co-located with shops, day care, etc.
- Awards program
- Plus more options
- 	Visit:
**www.bestworkplacesforcommuters.gov**
**www.bwc.gov**

**Notes:**
A key aspect of the Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative is choice---having options.
We ask employers to go beyond the primary benefit they provide their employees and provide other options for a truly comprehensive employee benefits package.
The list here is only a subset of all the available options.
Our Web site <www.commuterchoice.gov> has more or we can assist you in identifying options that will best suit your organization.

## Performance benchmark & Reporting

- 14% non-SOV for participating work sites -- and demonstrate this within 18 months
- Annual reporting; “check-in” with EPA & confirm program/benefits
- Random sample survey to quantify mode share split

**Notes:**
Employers participating in the program need to track their non-SOV rate. They should be able to demonstrate an average 14% non SOV rate within 18 months of joining the program......if employers do not meet the 14% rate within that time period, but commit to working with us to increase their non SOV rate, we will work with them to put together an action plan for helping them to achieve the goal.
Also, we will check in each year with each employer in the program to ensure that they are still offering a commuter benefits package that qualifies them as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters.
Finally, every other year each employer must do a survey to determine their mode share split – this is also means for them to determine what their non-SOV rate is.

## Business Value

- Improved ...
- Recruiting
- Job satisfaction
- Retention
- Employee productivity
- Cost/employee value multiplier effect
- Reduced parking
- Less traffic and cleaner air

## San Francisco Bay Area 

_**Best Workplaces pilot in 2002**_: AQ, transportation, business & HR coalition formed
- Participation jumped from 24 to 84 employers in 2002.
- BWC List in 2003 was 103 employers
- Media: over 30 articles, 6 TV spots and 3 radio spots

**Notes:**
Our first experiment with Best Workplaces for Commuters was in the San Francisco Bay Area in the summer and fall of 2002. We formed a coalition of regional partners, including representatives from the environmental, human resources, and business communities.  As a result of our regional media campaign, the number of employers participating in the program jumped from 24 to 84 and we’ve received coverage in over 20 newspaper articles and five TV spots.

## Coalitions With Influence

- _Business Sector_: Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, Bay Area Council
- _Human Resources_: Northern California Human Resources Association
- _MPO/transportation planning_: Metropolitan Transportation Commission
- _Environment_: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
- _Regional TDM_: RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, Northern California Chapter – ACT
- Other: American Lung Association, Chambers of Commerce, Transit Providers, Councils of Government

## Other 2003 Campaigns 

- 				*Number of Employers Participating*
- 			_Before_		_After_
- Washington, DC	21		78
- Houston			11		32
- Tucson			2		16
- Sacramento		24		45
- New England		33		83
- Media coverage:
- 21 tv broadcasts, 20 print, 1 tv talk show, 	6 radio broadcasts, 5 web articles

**Notes:**
The program has made a difference in several communities this summer; we’ve seen the numbers of participating employers increase rapidly and we’ve received excellent media coverage.  We are refining our approach for running a Best Workplaces for Commuters Campaign even as we launch additional campaigns...........................

## Best Workplaces for Commuters – Results!

- 1.35 million commuters covered
- 650 BWC employers
- 10 BWC Districts (4,000 additional employers)
- Congestion relief
- 200,000 fewer rush hour cars
- 3 million miles daily reduction in VMT
- Transit ridership increase
- 90,000 additional weekday riders
- Energy & pollution savings:
- 58 million gallons gas daily
- 2,000 tons NOx annually
- 500,000 tons CO2 annually

## BWC Plans for 2004

- Colorado, Houston, Washington DC, New England, New York Metro, Phoenix, Tucson, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, Charlotte, Triangle Region, etc....
- Best Workplaces for Commuters Campaigns being launched in communities across the nation. Number growing every year......

**Notes:**
Best Workplaces for Commuters Campaigns are planned for a number of communities, and publishing an annual list will remain an on-going annual event in these places.........
We are also developing a strategy to respond to additional communities expressing interest in hosting BWC Campaigns. 

## Why Employers want to be one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters

- Public recognition
- Coalition endorsements
- Protect commuter benefits!
- Demonstrate community
- 	stewardship
- Federal “seal of approval”
- Recruitment advantage
- Networking opportunities
- Tools
- Hotline and Web site for materialsand information 1-**888 856-3131**
**<www.bwc.gov>**

**Notes:**
BWC brings considerable value to employers. Public recognition as an employer who provides outstanding commuter benefits is one significant advantage. 
Employers meeting the criteria also receive a “brand name” or “seal of approval”. This also gives employers a competitive advantage in the regional marketplace when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees.
(bullets are mostly self-explanatory)
To request or obtain information and materials, visit the Web site at <www.bwc.gov> or call the hotline at 888-856-3131. 

## Promoting Best Workplaces for Commuters Designation

- _Seal of approval_
-   Can be used in job ads and internal/external marketing materials
-   Gives employers competitive advantage in the regional marketplace

**Notes:**
Examples of employers and local partners already using BWC references on web sites etc. :

## Human Resource Leaders Participate

- 	Beyond articles.........
- 	Active participation in Metro-Area Campaigns!

**Notes:**
And, we’ve captured the attention of a key group---the human resources industry.
In addition to covering our program through articles, we’ve partnered with several HR groups to do targeted outreach to their membership.
I see an even bigger role for these organizations as we move forward.

## Best Workplaces for Commuter moves all employers up continuum

- Preferential parking for carpoolers

- Employee paid pre-tax transit voucher

- Employer paid transit subsidy

- Bike lockers

- Parking Cash-out

- Onsite amenities such as dry cleaning

- Ridematching

- Access to Emergency Ride Home

- Less employer commitment

- More employer commitment

- Fewer Companies

**Best Workplaces for Commuter moves all employers up continuum**

- Many Companies

**Notes:**
Examples of how we are moving employers along the continuum:  Shell Oil in Houston provides commuter benefits in response to BWC campaign-but hasn’t applied for BWC designation; unnamed firm in Bay Area successfully protected commuter benefits program from budget cuts due to BWC designation; John Ciaffone’s Trans-Options program in New Jersey helped several employers achieve the BWC designation in addition to working with employers who now offer some commuter benefits to their employees in response to learning about BWC. PTCRA has developed a multi-tiered employer program that encourages employers to incrementally expand their commuter benefits, in a steppingstone fashion, to finally achieve the top tier: Best Workplaces for Commuters. 

## Contact Information

_**USEPA:**_
**Robin Snyder**
- snyder.robin@epa.gov
- 202-343-9288
- _Inquiries for additional materials_
- 	 **www.bwc.gov**
- or the hotline at **888 856-3131**