Commuter Choice Programs

Why Commuter Choice?

Employers that promote commuter choices benefit from increased employee job satisfaction, reduced turnover, increased productivity, an expanded labor pool, and the improved health of workers, our environment and the regional economy. All of these factors have a direct impact an organizations bottom line.

Transit Benefits

Seventy-eight percent of workers in Downtown Minneapolis live within 15 miles of their workplace – a convenient distance for transit use
As the hub of the transit system, Downtown Minneapolis is very well served by both bus and rail
Employers can enroll in these programs for free
When combined with a pre-tax payroll deduction, discount transit pass programs reduce employer payroll tax obligations
Discount transit passes are becoming a standard benefit for employers located downtown
Employers that subsidize transit pass programs qualify for a 30% Minnesota state tax credit on those dollars
Employees who sign up can save over $600 a year in transit costs
Higher transit use reduces traffic congestion, which promotes a healthier environment, regional economy and work-life balance for commuters.

Metropass

Metropass is the region’s premier employer pass program. Designed for medium-to-large-sized employers, Metropass offers the most convenience and savings to both employers and employees.

Bike & Walk Benefits

Twenty-six percent of workers in Downtown Minneapolis live within 5 miles of their workplace. Promoting biking and walking to these workers is one tool employers can use to fight increasing health care costs.

Most employees view their commute as an extension of their work day. Employees who can chose a healthy, convenient and enjoyable way of commuting to work have a higher level of job satisfaction, have fewer absences due to illness and are better able to manage stress in their lives. This leads to reduced employee turnover, increased productivity, and lower recruiting, hiring and training costs.

Cash Out

Employers that subsidize employee parking, transit pass, or vanpool costs, can extend this benefit to employees who bike or walk to work by allowing employees to take a “healthy choice” award in cash in lieu of the subsidy.

The value of the award will be subject to taxes. There is no real cost to employers. The amount is treated as additional compensation and employees incur payroll and income taxes. The employer will have to pay payroll taxes on the cash out benefit provided. To offset that cost, employers can simply lower the cash out amount by their share of the payroll taxes.

This “healthy choice” award allows employees to cover the costs of walking shoes, rollerblade and bicycle equipment and repair, bicycle locker rental, or shower privileges at a nearby gym.

Showers & Lockers

One of the main disincentives for employees biking and walking to work is a lack of shower and locker facilities. Employers that have access to showers and lockers already have a built-in incentive. For those employers that do not have this amenity, several options exist:

Employers can check with their building managers to see if showers and lockers can be installed for use by all building tenants.
Employers can also opt to subsidize or reimburse the costs of a gym membership in lieu of parking or transit pass benefits.
Some downtown employers have negotiated reduced membership costs with nearby gyms for their employees.
Employers could choose to subsidize or reimburse the cost of shower & locker privileges at the ABC Ramps as well.

Secure Bicycle Storage

Off-street bicycle storage is a huge incentive for choosing bicycling as a commuting option. Several downtown employers have negotiated deals with their building managers to provide such services. If off-street bicycle parking is not an option, the City of Minneapolis, Metro Transit and the ABC Ramps have bicycle lockers for rent. Employers can reimburse employees for the costs of renting these lockers.

Rideshare Benefits

Reduced employee stress
Improved productivity
Reduced need for parking spaces
Reduced congestion lowers costs for delivering goods and services
Reduced employee commute time means a shorter work day

Promote Ridematching Services

Two reasons commuters are reluctant to start or join a carpool are:

Not wanting to ride with a stranger
A reluctance to commit to carpooling five days a week.

Employers can help overcome these obstacles by:

Creating their own flexible ridematching program within their own organization, OR
Working with their building management company to create a ride-matching system for their office tower

These programs could be as simple as a ride-match board in a common area or an online message board on a company intranet site or building manager site. Employers could also host “zip-code parties” where folks who live in the same region can meet and mingle while looking for a carpool partner.

Preferred Parking for Carpools and Vanpools

you own your own lot or ramp, creating designated carpool spaces closer to the building entrance or elevators can be an excellent incentive for employees to carpool. If you don’t own your own parking facilities, ask your parking service provider if they would be willing to offer this service.

Telework Benefits

Telework enables employers to:

Operate effectivly during peak congestion periods caused by major regional events (e.g. political conventions), inclement weather or emergency situations
Save money by avoiding the need to build or lease a larger facility
Expand hiring opportunities
Improve job satisfaction and retention of employees
Reduce absenteeism
Increase available parking space

eWorkplace

For a limited time, Twin Cities employers can enjoy free consultant services from highly specialized industry experts. Plus, employers and employees can join and learn from a network of other telework professionals creating best practices for their organization and/or company.

The professionals of eWorkPlace share over 40 years of national telework expertise and are based in the Twin Cities. Services include: