Although parking availability and recruitment are not immediate problems, Worldspan knows that a commuter assistance program provides employees with a valuable benefit that eases commuting stress and assists with retention efforts. It also allows the company to do their part in addressing Atlanta s air quality and traffic concerns and provides Worldspan with additional means for community involvement. Vanpools, carpools, bus passes and an innovative incentive program led the initiative. Worldspan focused much of their attention on vanpool formation. To encourage employees to ride the vans, Worldspan and CTN reduced the cost of riding in a vanpool by jointly assuming the expense of the vendor s monthly lease.
Riders only pay for gas, equating to a fraction of the cost.
Although the company was initially skeptical of the program s potential, employee demand for the vanpools is so great that 12 vans carry more than 125 riders to work each day, removing over 110 cars from the parking deck. To best communicate the advantages of the Commuter Network program to employees, Worldspan centralized all of the information onto an easily-accessible intranet page. Worldspan and CTN also pioneered Diamond Rewards, an incentive program to encourage overall participation. Diamond Rewards provides cash on a customized MasterCard for employees who participate in Commuter Network. The card may then be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted.