In the battle against congestion, TMOs are on your side

By: Jeff Syme, Metropolitan Council

Transportation Management Organizations provide relief to commuters, employers

In the battle against congestion, Twin Cities employers and commuters have strong allies in a small group of nonprofits identified by their collective acronym, TMOs.

These small offices work with commuters and employers to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles clogging up area highways during the morning and afternoon rush hour (which actually stretches to more than two hours on both ends).

The region’s four Transportation Management Organizations are better known to the public as:

• Commuter Connection (Downtown Minneapolis)
• Commuter Services (494 Corridor)
• Commute Solutions (Anoka County)
• Smart Trips (St. Paul)

TMOs create strategies and programs that give commuters viable, tangible alternatives to the daily white-knuckle ride behind the wheel. Collectively these strategies and programs are called Transportation Demand Management (TDM), a low-cost approach to reducing single-occupancy vehicle travel, and maximizing freeway and highway capacity.

The record shows that TDM strategies are working. For example, in 2009 (the latest year for which data are available) TDM programs implemented by the TMOs and Metro Transit helped reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled by an estimated 64 million miles in the seven-county region – that’s more than 4 million vehicle trips. That mileage correlates with approximately 13,000 tons of CO2 emissions not released into the atmosphere.

TMOs, Metro Transit provide customized solutions

TMOs and Metro Transit work together to provide customized solutions to employers and commuters in the geographic areas they serve, explained Bruce Howard, marketing director for Metro Transit. (Areas in the region not served by one of the four chartered TMOs are served by Metro Transit.)

“With congestion expected to grow worse over time, and now with gas prices on the rise, commuters are looking for new ways to get to work,” Howard said. “Likewise, employers want to help their employees get to work more easily and reliably, and to create alternative work schedules or teleworking opportunities.”

• Individualized employee services – Consumer education about pre-tax benefits, enrollment in appropriate commuter programs and customized travel plans.
• Employer services – Rider subsidy programs, commuter fairs, regional promotions, commuter surveys, and technical assistance with telework options.
• Websites that serve as portals to describe local programs and spread awareness.
• Advocacy for commuter programs – Working with municipal government and developers to coordinate local land-use plans and development concepts.

In addition to managing their own programs, TMOs also promote and market regional TDM programs and services provided by the Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit. Such services include the regional transit network, employer subsidy programs like Metropass, U-Pass and College Pass, car and vanpool services (Ride Share, Guaranteed Ride Home, Van-Go!), and e-work programs.

TMO programs cut into congestion

“TMOs have had a big impact in their service areas and have contributed to the region’s overall effort to reduce single-occupant-vehicle trips since they got started here nearly 25 years ago,” Howard said. “We all gain with fewer cars on the road. Less gas is consumed, less pollution is emitted, workers have smoother commutes and more time with their families, and goods move to their destinations more quickly.”

TMO results speak for themselves. For example, Commuter Connection in downtown Minneapolis reported that in 2009, they:

• Served 22,620 customers through their Commuter Connection store
• Registered 3,254 carpools
• Sold $732,000 in transit fares
• Secured 19 new Metropass contracts
• Helped 22 real estate developments fulfill their TDM commitments to the City of Minneapolis.

Combined, these efforts led to an estimated reduction of more than 19.7 million vehicle miles.

The TMOs also participate in a state-sponsored teleworking initiative, calledeWorkplace, which promotes and supports teleworking for metro area employers. As of January 2011, 40 employers were participating and 3,000 of their employees were teleworking at least one day a week. According to the report, these workers eliminated an estimated 125,000 commute trips each day on metro area roads.

The benefits of TDM strategies compound from year to year, as more commuters and employers get on board.

Jessica Treat, director of the St. Paul Smart Trips TMO, has witnessed that growth firsthand through Smart Trips’ work with organizations, neighborhoods and individuals in St. Paul.

“Our role is to get people’s attention, educate them about their options, change attitudes about commuting alternatives, and ultimately change behaviors,” Treat said. “When we do, we find that those individuals and organizations become enthusiastic advocates for the work we do.

“There’s a growing demand for resources and pertinent information about the wide range of commuting options out there, and Smart Trips is happy to fill that need,” she said.

Private-public partners govern TMOs

TMOs are typically governed by a board of directors that includes local government officials, business leaders and community stakeholders who set policies and priorities to serve their specific commuter needs. (Commute Solutions is tucked into Anoka County government.) The TMOs also support one another and coordinate efforts to leverage results.

The majority of TMO funding comes from a federal grant designated to reduce air pollution in metro areas that experience traffic congestion. In 2010, that funding totaled $2.75 million. Local partners are required to provide a 20% match.