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SOLUTIONS MAIN SECTION
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Section 2, Chapter 10
Many other strategies can supplement or support
the primary elements of Commute Solutions programs. Brief descriptions
of these strategies (subscription buses, shuttles, pool vehicles,
carsharing and on-site transportation) are offered here along with
specific benefits and additional resources: A commuter bus express service operated for a guaranteed number of customers on a prepaid, reserved-seat basis. Smaller 10-15 passenger van/buses that offer similar service often are called buspools. Specific Benefits Implementation Steps The idea is simple: provide a bus that's quick, comfortable and reliable to travel from one pick-up point to a limited list of destinations. It differs from express buses in that commuters pay a fee each month (or for longer periods) that subscribes them to the service and reserves a seat. Therefore, most buses are never overbooked or underfilled. (Some services are a marriage between express and subscription, offering subscriptions but still allowing for riders who opt to take the service occasionally.) Operators are usually the local transit authority or a private company that works in cooperation with employers or TMOs/TMAs; however, employers can coordinate and operate the service, as well. The service is expensive, and therefore almost always is subsidized—often a combination of transit provider money, TMO/TMA funds and grants. Fees are often higher than regular bus service, but are still more affordable than commuting alone in a car. Many services offer more comfortable seating and other amenities not found on traditional transit buses. In a typical situation, commuters park at a park and ride lot, board the subscription bus, then head directly to a concentrated area of businesses for a limited number of drop-offs. An ETC interested in subscription services should research other systems around the country and work with the local transit providers to study feasibility of service.
Privately- or publicly-operated vehicles that move passengers from one location to another, usually providing connections between different transportation systems and/or employment centers Specific Benefits Implementation Steps Shuttles come in a multitude of forms—everything from transporting people to airports to getting workers around an expansive campus. They can be circulating (meaning running on a fairly continual basis from one destination to another), or demand response (meaning the shuttle responds to a specific request for a trip). Anything this convenient and flexible sounds like a great idea, but often the costs associated with shuttles make them prohibitive for many employers. (Drivers make up a significant portion of the expense.) However, an ETC should study the feasibility of shuttles when the possibility exists for supplementing a significant component of their Commute Solutions program. Site analysis and transportation surveys can help define the need and justify the cost (See Section 1, Chapter 3). Additionally, transit providers might be able to partner with the employer to help cover costs. Finally, ETCs can explore creative ways to use shuttles that work with other strategies. For example, a company van could serve as a shuttle to take passengers to and from a park and ride lot in the morning and evening, while serving as a pool (See below) or delivery vehicle during the work day. Shuttle drivers could have additional duties during the day as well. Privately owned vehicles that serve a "pool" of people throughout the work hours (Sometimes they are known as "fleet vehicles," although this term covers more commercial uses for vehicles as well, such as a fleet of delivery vans.) Specific Benefits Implementation Steps "I need my car during the work day for meetings,"is one of the most often cited reasons why employees don't consider Commute Solutions alternatives. Pool vehicles address this problem. To implement a program, an ETC tries to define the number of vehicles needed (a survey of existing and potential participants can help), works with management to research the most cost-effective means of acquiring the vehicles, then establishes a reservation system to allow for vehicle check out. Fueling, maintenance and safety/use guidelines also must be established. The costs can be considerable, since organizing
the specifics will need the resources of at least one employee,
who then may be needed on an ongoing basis to manage the program.
However, initial investments in ideas like online registration systems
can reduce the need for extensive time devoted to managing the pool. One pool vehicle managed with a paper calendar for reservations, a company gas card for fueling and a rotating list of volunteers for maintenance trips could make the difference for several employees in whether they participate in Commute Solutions.
A private system in which a company or group of individuals share vehicles on a reservation basis and pay for the use on the basis of time or mileage Specific Benefits Implementation Steps Dozens of employers around the country also have found carsharing companies as viable alternatives to offering their own pools of vehicles for employees, because the companies handle all the details—fueling, insurance, online reservations systems, maintenance, etc. Carsharing systems can run the gamut from hi-tech and professional to low-tech and informal. The aforementioned car-sharing companies use online reservations, special access key cards and enticing vehicles. Informal car co-ops have been known simply to offer a reservation book and a set of keys on a bulletin board.
Any vehicle or strategy that moves employees around the work site, or makes it easier for them to avoid unnecessary trips Specific Benefits Implementation Steps
2. Provide Pool Vehicles 3. Provide Shuttles, Bikes or Carts 4. Make Sure the Site is Safe and Easy
to Navigate for Pedestrians 5. Offer Teleconferencing and Internet-Based
Meetings 6. Consider Alternative Fuels Additionally, electric vehicles provide an opportunity for employers to use clean vehicles for short trips at low cost while refueling with an on-site charging unit during the non-work hours. Hybrid cars that use a combination of gasoline and electricity are also a good option for getting excellent gas mileage, and thus lessen the time and expense of refueling.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Area Rural Transportation System
(CARTS) Clean Cities Coalition (alternative fuel
programs) City of Austin Carsharing Pilot Project Carsharing Network
CH2M HILL, an employee-owned engineering and construction firm in Seattle, reduced single-occupant vehicle trips from 61 to 31 percent with a variety of transportation programs over the years. CH2M HILL added two crucial components to its Commute Solutions program during 2001—a carshare program for employees called FlexCar, and conversion of fleet vehicle cars to gasoline-electric hybrids. With FlexCar, Commute Solutions participants can use company sponsored car-sharing vehicles during the day for personal trips. The company had allowed employees to pay for fleet vehicle use, but it was determined that the vehicles were needed for business purposes. Still, the company took the extra step of adding fuel efficiency and reduced emissions to its fleet by converting vehicles to the hybrid models. Source: Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program |
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