Once the surveys have been completed and
Matchlists are returned, it’s time for you to begin
marketing the UTA Rideshare programs to your co-workers.
Because not all employers can offer financial
incentives, an equally powerful persuader is saving time and
worry. In order
to make this type of incentive effective, you must convince
your co-workers that ridesharing will make their lives easier.
In addition, you should make ridesharing an easy thing
to start. Intimidating
forms, anything presented as mandatory, or inconvenient
meetings will immediately turn off your co-workers.
The key is to make sure that everyone
knows you are available to help.
Centralizing UTA Rideshare information in your office
or another common area is a way to make ridesharing more
accessible for everyone.
Tax
Benefits of the Transportation Equality Act for the 21st
Century (TEA 21)
Under TEA 21, signed by President Clinton
on June 9, 1998, an employer can offer an employee a pretax
fringe benefit for vanpool or transit of up to $65 per month
or taxable cash in lieu of a nontaxable parking benefit.
"In addition to compensation,"
allows an employer purchase of up to $65 for a transit pass or
$65 toward a vanpool seat and give it to the employee.
The employer then pays no payroll taxes on the amount
and the W-2 remains unchanged, thereby, receiving a tax-free
benefit of $780 per year.
"In lieu of compensation," an
employee asks an employer to set aside $65 of existing
(pre-tax) salary for a transit pass.
The employer then furnishes a $65 transit pass/vanpool
seat at no additional cost to the employer.
Both employer and employee save on payroll and income
taxes, reducing the W-2 by $780 or $65 per month.
Deductions can be taken as an employer's
business expense for the equivalent of the transit/vanpool
subsidy. By 2002, the maximum monthly tax-free cap will raise from $65
per month to $100 per month.
Commute
Incentives
It is possible to convince commuters to
change their commute habits especially if the proper mix of
incentives or disincentives is applied.
Disincentives include high gasoline costs, high parking
rates, or severe traffic congestion.
Providing parking closer to the building entrance for
carpoolers and vanpoolers is a reward for pooling.
In addition, employers can subsidize van seats,
recognize carpoolers in a company publication, or hold
get-togethers so potential rideshares can meet.
Below is a list of programs that can help make your
alternative transportation programs more successful:
Ridematching — Match your employee’s transportation needs and
interests with a company-specific database provided by UTA
Rideshare.
Priority
Parking — Reward carpoolers and vanpoolers for
participating with close-in parking.
Promotional
Bulletin Board — Post trip reduction, construction, and
UTA Rideshare information on a centrally located bulletin
board.
On-Site
Services — Offer on-site food, banking, dry cleaning
pick up, and childcare services to help employees use
alternative transportation.
Consistent/Alternative
Work Schedules — Offer work schedule options to help
employees select the UTA Rideshare program that works best for
them.
Direct
Tax Savings (or Benefits) — TEA offers benefits to both
employer and employee.
Lower
Parking Rates — Lower parking rates for carpool,
vanpool, or other alternative transportation participants.
Company
Subsidies/Rewards — Offer programs such as a point
system for alternative transportation users that can be
redeemed as company-supplied prizes and/or comp-time.
Sale
of Transit Passes at Work site — Sell transit passes at
your worksite, providing easier access for riders.
Eco
Pass/Co-op Program — Offer transit passes to employees
at a discounted rate.
Guaranteed
Ride Home — Provide Eco Pass and Vanpool participants
with the GRH information to help reduce any anxiety they may
have about an unexpected change in their schedules.
Showers,
Lockers & Bike Racks — Offer these services to those
co-workers who may be interested in bicycling or walking to
work.
Seminars on Safe Cycling — Educate co-workers on safe cycling and
give them the confidence to use this option.
Bicycle
Route Maps — Provide bicycle maps so cyclists know which
route options are available.
Discounted
Bike Purchase Program — Work with a local bike shop to
offer employee discounts on bicycles.
Parking
Management
Parking management strategies influence
the location, cost, availability, and demand for parking at
employment sites. The
objective is to accommodate as many commuters (not vehicles)
as possible, while minimizing the space devoted to parking.
This is accomplished through employer incentives and/or
disincentives that encourage your co-workers to adopt
alternatives to driving alone.
Ridesharing offers a variety of benefits to your
employer and co-workers:
·
Reduces space requirements
·
Reduces traffic congestion at or near the work
site
·
Improves community relations
·
Promotes efficient use of employer resources
·
Addresses air quality related trip reduction
objectives
The greatest motivator for ridesharing or
using alternative transportation is parking cost.
Abundant, free parking encourages co-workers to drive
alone to work, and prevents a transportation management plan
from having any measurable impact on employee travel patterns. As an incentive, employers could provide employees with a
monthly transit allowance equal to the value of a parking
space. Employees
who choose a cheaper alternative could pocket the cash!
Personalized attention is a great way to
market the idea of ridesharing and make it more accessible to
your co-workers. A
good way to start this process is to follow-up on your
Matchlists. Contact
the interested carpoolers.
Try to personally introduce participants to help reduce
anxiety about trying something new.
Hold Rideshare Information meetings with
groups of people who live in the same part of town.
Keep the meetings informal, serve refreshments, and
hold them during regular work hours if possible, not during
lunch hour or breaks. Doing so shows the company’s commitment to ridesharing.
Have people introduce themselves.
Then, review the benefits of ridesharing and any
special programs offered by your company or UTA Rideshare.
For vanpoolers in particular, a meeting is important
because it is an opportunity for members to establish pick-up
and drop-off points, fares, payments, drivers, etc.
Include ridesharing information in your
company newsletter. Give
personal recognition to co-workers who make a difference.
Post UTA Rideshare information on every company
bulletin board. Use
posters, e-mail, and payroll stuffers to advertise
ridesharing.
Periodically
set up a Rideshare Center, use an area where employees gather
socially such as the lunch or break room.
Draw attention to your exhibit by giving away soda,
popcorn, etc.
Make frequent staff presentations about
ridesharing, this keeps up the level of awareness for your
co-workers. Many people are just not sure they will like ridesharing.
Help ease them into it by suggesting trial pooling and
part-time pooling. Always
stress that ridesharing is an option not
a requirement.
Form task forces or “quality teams”
of employees to help you develop program incentives and
details. Teams
could be organized by mode (bicycle, van, bus, etc.)
This marketing technique builds ownership on the part
of your co-workers and it gives you an internal support group.
Be ready with information on ridesharing,
cost savings, incentives, buses, carpools, and vanpools when
your employees ask. Keep
track of pools and routes within your company.
That way you will be prepared to refer new individuals
to existing pools and arrange for meetings of potential
poolers when needed. Remember,
if you act indifferently, your co-workers will get the message
that this is not important.
It’s human nature to want something for
nothing. Offer
prizes, awards, and other freebies to co-workers as motivators
for ridesharing. You
can also use awards and special privileges to reward and give
recognition to Rideshare participants.
Always let employees know what’s in it for them.
Participate in our ETC Network. Check the ETC section of the web site at www.utabus.com. Come to the monthly meetings, network, and stay informed and
educated. Read
the quarterly issue of Rideshare Roadways.
Call UTA Rideshare anytime you need help.
Let us hear about how your program is working, and any
new ideas you create!
