START A COMMUTE PROGRAM AT WORK

Help Employees Beat the Commute

Whether your worksite is working remotely, in person, or in a hybrid model, keeping employees safe, healthy and engaged during the pandemic is a concern shared by employers. Providing safety information and tips for those that have to commute to the worksite and improving policies and procedures for those working from home are key ways you can assist your employees and keep your worksite productive. In addition to the information below to help you develop an employee commute program, the following list of tips and resources are provided to assist your worksite during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Share these bike and walk tips with employees and encourage healthy habits!
Consider partnering with Connect2Transit to ease the commute for employees that need to use public transportation. Contact us to learn more.
Provide employees with safety information and procedures from local transit agencies.
Support your employees that are returning to the worksite with these recommendations developed for all travel modes from the Association for Commuter Transportation.
Review Marin Commute’s Employer Remote Work Resource Kit for help improving and formalizing your program.
Whether your employees are working on or off site, the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the health and well-being of employees. The National Safety Council provides resources to help you manage effectively during this crisis.

Find the Right Fit

Not all ideas or strategies will work for every organization, but typical commute programs include a range of parking programs, electric vehicle charging stations, carpooling and ride share promotions, biking amenities, telework and flex schedule options, and transit promotions and incentives. The Transportation Authority of Marin provides an emergency ride home program for all employees that choose to commute by walking, bike, transit, or ridesharing.

Depending on the size of your company, scheduling needs, and where employees live, approaches will vary to meet specific needs. A good first step in developing a commute program is to survey your employees to understand their current commute patterns and needs. If you’re not sure where to start, check out these sample surveys to help your company develop an employee commuter program: 511.org sample survey [PDF] and Spare the Air sample survey [Word]. Click here to learn more about measures and strategies to consider as you design your program. Once you’ve put your program together, check out these tips on promotion to make sure that you get the most out of it, and check out these additional resources and handouts your employees!

511 How To's

There are many different measures to consider when implementing an employee commute program. Once you’ve figured out what you want to offer, how do you do it? Below is a list of How To’s from 511.org on a wide range of commute program elements that should help get you going.

Additional Resources:

See the City of San Rafael Program or the County of Marin Program for examples of employer-provided commute programs.

More information and resources can be found at 511.org Employer Services.

Employer Mailing List

Testimonials

We’re Riding Smart!

Russell A. Colombo
Former President & CEO, Bank of Marin
As a major North Bay employer with offices across Marin and Sonoma counties, we are focused on commute alternatives for our employees, many of whom make the laborious commute on Hwy 101 every day. With the high cost of living in Marin, we rely heavily on hiring from Sonoma County.

We are committed to making SMART an integral part of improving that commute by offering a morning shuttle from the Hamilton Station to our Novato headquarters using a vehicle that Bank of Marin purchased with this purpose in mind We also offer an Uber Rideshare program for the afternoon commute to Hamilton and $50/month reimbursement to those employees that purchase a SMART monthly pass.

Additionally, Bank of Marin has representatives that chair the Oversight committees for both SMART and TAM Measure A funds. We hope our commitment inspires other major employers in Marin to help ease congestion by encouraging their employees to use SMART.

Worried about being stranded? We’ve got you covered. Click here to learn more about TAM’s Emergency Ride Home program.