what are the transportation choices?
There are many options for getting around town and going to work other than driving alone. Walking, biking, taking the bus, carpooling, vanpooling and even skateboarding are all forms of transportation. Other options are also available, such as working compressed work schedules and telecommuting.
what is the transportation choices program?
The Transportation Choices Program (TCP) is a FREE program in San Luis Obispo County offered to businesses and organizations that encourage their employees to use sustainable transportation. The goal of the Transportation Choices Program is to equip employers with the tools needed promote positive change in employee commuting habits.
The program is spearhead by SLO Regional Rideshare and is directed by a Steering Committee made up of partner organizations and local businesses. Our 2009-2011 Transportation Choices Program Steering Committee includes representatives from Ride-On Transportation, SLO County Bicycle Coalition, Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Caltrans, Cal Poly and Morris & Garritano Insurance.
We believe there is a need to change the way we get around. The Green House Gas Emissions Inventory Report conducted in 2009 indicated that 68% of our county’s green house gasses are attributed to transportation. A simple look to the Los Angeles area illustrates how a huge highway infrastructure does little to reduce or eliminate major traffic congestion. The organizations and businesses that choose to participate in the Transportation Choices Program help preserve our air quality and minimize traffic congestion in San Luis Obispo County.
benefits to the community
Our mission is to promote sustainable transportation, thereby decreasing traffic congestion, reducing our reliance on foreign oil and maintaining clean air. By making a choice and using sustainable transportation, there are fewer cars on the road during the peak commuting hours, decreasing both traffic and air pollution. Decreasing the amount of single occupancy vehicles on the road also leads to an increase in disposable income. Currently 18% of a household’s income goes to transportation when this money could instead be spent on our local economy.
benefits to employers
Offering transportation options to employees has been shown to increase employee morale and productivity. Providing incentives to employees who choose to use sustainable transportation not only encourages continued use, but can also result in greater employee satisfaction. Furthermore, employees who carpool, vanpool, bus or walk together can build relationships that will help them work more cohesively as a team.
getting started
1.Employee Commute Survey
A valuable tool for making positive change at your workplace is determining the current commute habits of your employees and their barriers to using sustainable transportation. This is done through a simple online survey developed and administered by Rideshare. The survey not only assesses current modes of commuting, but also identifies attitudes towards alternatives such as vanpooling, carpooling, taking the bus, riding a bike, and even walking to work. We provide the online survey link, evaluate the data and develop a Trip Reduction Plan based upon the survey results. The survey gives us an idea of the types of commute alternatives that will work best for your employees and provides a benchmark to measure the success of your program.
2.Trip Reduction Plan
Using the results from the Employee Commute Survey, Rideshare will create a customized Trip Reduction Plan that summarizes the survey data and provides recommendations. If a large majority of your employees commute from South County into San Luis Obispo at relatively the same time, we may recommend a vanpool. If a large barrier to employees leaving their car at home is the inability to leave for lunch, we may recommend our Workplace Bike Sharing Program or the Lunchtime Express. Trip Reduction Plans are conduced yearly to measure changes in employee commute behavior and the success of your individualized program.
3.Select an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC)
We find the most successful programs have an enthusiastic employee onsite that helps promote the Transportation Choices Program. You probably have an employee that supports the use of sustainable transportation and may already be carpooling, vanpooling, using the bus or riding a bike to work. That person may be willing to act as your Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC), or the point of contact for Transportation Choices Program information. We will train the ETC and check-in with them to make sure your company’s questions and concerns are handled.
4.Onsite Transportation Choices Presentation
We offer Transportation Choices Presentations at your worksite at no cost to you. Based on the results of the commute survey, we can meet with your employees and provide easy to understand information about using the bus, joining a vanpool or carpool, and other transportation alternatives.
5.Transportation Choices Information Center
Giving employees access to information about their transportation choices is essential to changing commute habits. They need to be able to compare and evaluate what mode of sustainable transportation might work best for them. Employees need to know about bus and vanpool schedules and fares. They need to know who to contact about starting or joining a vanpool or carpool, and where to go for answers to questions about transportation. The Transportation Choices Information Center can be set-up at your office where employees mingle, eat lunch or hold staff meetings. We provide you with the Transportation Choices Program Information Center and all of the materials.
6.iRideShare.org
Encourage your employees to register at www.iRideShare.org to get carpool and bike buddy matches, plan their bus trip and view vanpool and bicycle routes. In addition, participants in the Transportation Choices Program can receive their own Custom Sub Site and get automatic information employees reduction of emissions, miles, calories and gallons of fuel by using sustainable transportation. iRideShare.org also allows program participants to provide and manage incentives to their employees online.
commuter services
1.Emergency Ride Home Program
Rideshare’s Emergency Ride Home Program (ERH) offers insurance in the event of emergencies. If an employee becomes sick or has an emergency on a day they have used sustainable transportation, they can use our preferred taxi, shuttle or car rental services and be reimbursed for up to $45 of their ride. The service is only eligible for those registered in iRideShare.org and can be used four times a year per employee and covers the whole county.
2.Trip Planning Service
Changing the way you commute can be confusing. Where do you pick up the bus? How much does it cost? Where are the bike routes? Rideshare offers personalized trip planning assistance to help your employees plan their trip to work. Simply call 781-4362.
3.Lunchtime Express
Ride-On offers a free Lunchtime Express shuttle in the City of San Luis Obispo to 19 sponsoring restaurants in San Luis Obispo. Any party of two or more may reserve a space at least 24 hours in advance and the service operates Monday thru Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In addition, the Cities of Paso Robles, Atascadero, Cambria, Morro Bay, and some of the communities in the South County offer Dial-A-Ride shuttle services at very low fares for mid-day errands and connector services to transit.
4.iRideShare Rewards
iRideShare Rewards, a program provided by SLO Regional Rideshare, is designed to provide incentives for employees who choose to use sustainable transportation when commuting to work. The employee records trips made by foot, bike, carpool, vanpool, bus, train or telecommute into their trip calendars (www.iRideShare.org.) which are automatically converted into points and can be redeemed for a variety of gift certificates. Rideshare administers the program and passes the savings gained by ordering items in bulk to employers. The monthly program costs $2 per employee participating in the program and the cost of redeemed incentives.