PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Introduction

The ETC

Developing Successful CS Programs

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Credits

Section 1, Chapter 3

Establish a Decision-Making Process
Share the Benefits of Commute Solutions with Management
Assign/Hire a Transportation Coordinator
Conduct a Transportation Survey
Conduct a Site Analysis
Pinpoint Keys to Success
Create Program Elements and Incentives
Develop Incentives

Develop Goals
Develop Policies for Employees
Develop a Marketing Plan
Develop a Budget, Implementation and Maintenance Plan
Track Participation and Report Data
Develop a Ride Matching System
Evaluate the Program and Take Pride in Success
Share with the Community

Forms / Templates

Introduction:

his chapter includes a summary of what an employer should consider before hiring an ETC, as well as an outline of how the employer and the ETC can work together toward implementing a successful program. For a an overview, see the:

Program Development Chart (Word)
Program Development Chart (PDF)

The following steps are key to an effectively defined and managed program:

1. Establish a Decision-Making Process
So that decisions can be made quickly, employers are encouraged to assign a top manager to the program. However, to develop program specifics, a committee structure works well. Because many program details rely on their information and expertise, representatives from the following departments are often helpful in forming Commute Solutions Committees:

• Human Resources
• Legal
• Communications
• Facilities/Parking
• Security
• Environmental Health and Safety

Your Commute Solutions Committee will meet to develop goals and objectives for the program, and strategies to accomplish them. If desired, an employer can have the committee serve as a decision-making body, particularly on matters not requiring approval from top management. Additionally, the committee can develop an employee-input system or even methods for employees wanting to take an active role in the program's development.

2. Share the Benefits of Commute Solutions with Management
At some point in the process, someone in charge will need to actively support your Commute Solutions program. Whether it is allowing a committee to make future decisions or approving funding, a key manager or top executive most likely will prefer to have a full understanding of the program's benefits before providing support.

Early on, with a meeting and/or presentation, the Commute Solutions Committee should make it a priority to communicate the benefits of the program. The Let's Ride PowerPoint presentation is an effective tool for this purpose.

3. Assign/Hire a Transportation Coordinator
Your Commute Solutions Committee will be responsible for submitting a job description (See Section 1, Chapter 2) and assigning an ETC who will be responsible for developing and managing the actual Commute Solutions Program in conjunction with the committee and other decision-makers.

4. Conduct a Transportation Survey
To properly assess how employees travel to work, meetings, lunch, errands and back home again, an employer should conduct a transportation survey completed by as many employees as possible. The purpose of the survey is to assess:

• How employees travel to, from and around the work place
• How long and far their commutes are
• What they know about commute alternatives
• What they feel and think are the benefits of their current mode of travel and the possible benefits of alternatives
• What alternatives they might consider
• What incentives they might find valuable
• What concerns they have about using commute alternatives

A sample survey is included in this chapter. The survey is a useful tool for identifying the most effective Commute Solutions strategies, possible roadblocks for employees who want to use them, and what incentives might be needed to attract employees to the program. Additionally, each survey respondent who expresses interest in the program is a future contact to recruit for participation. Finally, the survey serves as a baseline—a starting point from which to base future program evaluations with additional surveys or participation tracking.

Distributing and Promoting the Survey
The survey itself can be distributed in a variety of ways. Market research and survey companies can provide all the services you need, but an ETC can manage the project as well. Online surveys are the easiest to use and can have functionality for analyzing the data. However, paper-based tracking is often necessary for employees without online access. To promote the survey, use the same marketing techniques you use to promote your program (See Marketing, Section 3).

Requesting that management make the survey mandatory for all employees would be ideal, however an encouraging word via a letter or e-mail from upper management is helpful, as are drawings or other incentives.

Analyzing the Survey
An ETC can report the data from the survey in whatever manner best suits the employer's needs. The idea is to look for key findings that fit the needs of employers and employees. For example, our fictional company, Widgets Inc., surveys its 750 employees and learns:

• Sixty percent would consider carpooling or vanpooling if they received a preferential parking space near the building's front entrance
• Thirty percent would consider carpooling or vanpooling if they were eligible for monthly prize drawings

Since much of the company's parking is in a remote lot unprotected from the hot sun, the cold wind or the infamous Texas rain storms, the findings aren't surprising to the Commute Solutions Committee of Widgets Inc. As a result, the overwhelming employee support of preferential parking becomes a cornerstone for the carpool/vanpool participation incentives that the Commute Solutions Committee plans on offering.

Similarly, if 80 percent of Widgets Inc. employees cite the concern of getting to their children in emergency situations as a reason why they wouldn't leave their car at home, a Guaranteed Ride Home program would be crucial for attracting participants.

This input becomes the key finding that the ETC reports back to the Commute Solutions Committee to help develop the program. Additionally, the committee and ETC can go a step farther by conducting focus groups to offer direct, more personalized input. A focus group can be professionally coordinated, or something as simple as a brown bag lunch where employees are encouraged to provide their thoughts.

Another innovative idea is to form a Transportation Think Tank, an ongoing group that assists the Commute Solutions Committee and ETC in exploring new ideas for the program without getting bogged down in the administrative details. The Think Tank would meet occasionally to provide feedback, suggestions and even research new strategies on its own.

Management Survey/Interviews
Some ETCs may want to take the extra step of surveying management specifically. The purpose of a targeted survey is to get an understanding of managers' views on such issues as:

• Opinions and concerns regarding telework (telecommuting) and alternative work arrangements, as well as which job responsibilities might be most suitable for the strategy
• Opinions on flextime

A survey may seem too formal in some circumstances, so an informal interview with managers can accomplish many of the same objectives.

5. Conduct a Site Analysis
A site analysis evaluates the physical characteristics of a building, campus or work area to gauge the potential for each Commute Solutions strategy; and it provides the information needed for possible improvements to the work site. Questions that should be asked include: Does transit serve the immediate area? Does the site have adequate sidewalks and bike lanes serving it? The analysis also should list facilities or services that make Commute Solutions more convenient, such as on-site cafeterias or childcare.

Additionally, the analysis should list the available resources for Commute Solutions strategies, such as the transit authority serving the area. A sample analysis is included in this chapter, but below are a few key issues an ETC will need to look at in detail.

6. Pinpoint Keys to Success
The Commute Solutions Committee should identify key program elements found in the transportation survey analysis.

7. Create Program Elements and Incentives
Using the travel survey and site analysis results as a road map, the Commute Solutions Committee and ETC can form a successful program based on five attributes:

• Strategies*
• Incentives
• Support and Resources
• Keys to Success
• Goals

* Strategies (such as transit, vanpooling, carpooling, etc.) are detailed in Section 2.

8. Develop Incentives
Although Commute Solutions strategies usually offer a host of personal benefits to the employee, taking the first step to do something other than driving alone to work each day can be difficult. Incentives can sweeten the deal, and add to or enhance the benefits already available. Typical incentives include:

• Subsidized transit or vanpool pass (employer pays full or partial amount of pass)
• Subsidized carpooling—ideas include gift cards or certificates for gas, maintenance/repairs and car washes
• Employee transportation allowance—provides a specified amount of money each month to employees to use, at their discretion, toward commuting
• Preferential parking—employees who carpool or vanpool receive reserved spaces near the work site entrance
• Prize drawings for participants
• Guaranteed Ride Home program (See Section 2, Chapter 9) that provides transportation to participants (usually a taxi ride) in the event of an emergency
• Recognition/awards for participants
• Improved facilities—typical improvements include sidewalks, bike lanes, bike racks, storage lockers, showers, etc. (See Section 2, Chapter 4 for more information)
• Other on-site facilities/services—cafeterias, childcare, dry cleaning pick-up and drop-off as well as other services provided by the employer help make Commute Solutions more feasible
• Use of pool/fleet vehicles for business and/or personal use

9. Define Support, Resources and Project Management
The Commute Solutions Committee should define how the ETC will support the program efforts and how the program will be funded.

Specific guidelines for how the project is managed on a daily basis also are helpful. An outline of duties and ongoing tasks, along with timelines, goals and events can serve as a valuable tool for ETCs. The guidelines also will be useful if the ETC leaves and another coordinator is hired, or if the ETC goes on vacation and someone else temporarily assumes responsibilities.

10. Develop Goals
The Commute Solutions Committee should develop specific goals to motivate the ETC and employees. For example, the employer may want to recruit a specific number of employees, vanpool, bicyclists, etc., to the program within the first year. Or it may want to track savings for vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) by employees. For a Commute Solutions program, VMTs are the number of miles traveled to and from work driving alone in a vehicle.

11. Develop Policies for Employees
Written policies can educate employees about different requirements for participation and for earning incentives. The policies can be collected and printed in a user's guide or policy manual, or simply published on the employer Web site.

Participation by the Commute Solutions Committee members, especially from legal and human resource departmental representatives, is critical to developing sound, effective policies. When creating rules, remember to look for ways to make the program as equitable as possible for the different types of workers.

12. Develop a Marketing Plan
Once the program guidelines and policies are in place, an ETC can plan for promoting the program (See Section 3).

13. Develop a Budget, Implementation and Maintenance Plan
The Commute Solutions Committee should assist the ETC in developing a specific budget for the program, along with plans for maintenance and expansion. ETCs may be responsible for tracking expenditures and monitoring the budget.

14. Track Participation and Report Data
Tracking Commute Solutions participation is valuable for several reasons. It allows management to see quantifiable results for the resources devoted to the program, and enables ETCs to calculate benefits for all involved.

Reporting participation also may be necessary for area air quality regulations or voluntary programs. Finally, tracking participation often serves as a method for determining eligibility for incentives. Tracking can be perplexing to many employers, but with some creativity and organizational skills, an ETC can make sure to keep reliable records on who is doing what.

ETCs usually track the type of trip made (or not made) for a commute and when. (Trying to track other workday trips such as lunches and off-site meetings is also possible, but most ETCs don't favor this strategy. Such detail could be seen as cumbersome for many employees, and many likely wouldn't remember to record these trips.) Tracking Can Be Accomplished Through Several Strategies:

Online System
Commute Solutions participants apply to the program with an online form that records their contact information, address, schedule and commute route. The employees then log online each week (or day, in some instances) and record how they made their trips for the week.

For employers with the technical resources, the system will store all of the information in a database for use by the ETC. Enrollment information will allow for ride matching and reports on savings for vehicle miles traveled (See Reporting, below). If the employer doesn't have the technical expertise or resources for a database system, a simple web form that is e-mailed to the ETC will work, as well; however, the ETC then must manually enter the information into a database or keep records on paper. Similarly, employees could simply e-mail their enrollment information and weekly logs.

Online systems work well for employees that have access to computers, but if they don't, an alternate or supporting system on paper should be used.

Paper System
Although less desirable than an online system, ETCs can track enrollment and participation with paper. Employees can fax or mail enrollment forms and weekly or monthly trip reports. One Central Texas company had promotional calendars printed for clients and used them for Commute Solutions tracking as well. Employees in carpools and vanpools simply stored the calendar in the vehicle, used it to record the trips made by each member and then each month sent the entire calendar by interoffice mail to the ETC. The ETC then photocopied the calendars for future recording in a spreadsheet and mailed the calendars back to the commuters.

Tying Tracking to Incentives
Of course, the problem with any tracking system is getting employees to submit the reports on their trips. E mail or phone reminders are helpful. One national company even took the extreme, but effective, step of not letting their employees log on to their computers each morning until they submitted a brief form on how they got to work.

However, even the most strident reminders may not do the trick. An ETC's best strategy is to offer incentives for reporting trips. For instance, one local company offers monthly prize drawings to Commute Solutions participants, but only if they report their trips. The announcement of each monthly winner is sent to all participants along with an additional notation that those who didn't report were not eligible. Additionally, eligibility for subsidized vanpool and transit passes, and perks for bicyclists and carpoolers, can be based on fulfilling reporting requirements.

Reporting Participation
Successful reporting of participation is based on effective tracking by an ETC. The different types of reports needed will vary from employer to employer. Questions to ask can include: Does management need something complex like the cost for each single occupancy vehicle trip avoided, or something easy such as the number of people participating? As a starting point, an ETC should always report the following on a monthly and annual basis:

• Total number of participants
• Total number for each mode or strategy
• Savings on Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs)

VMTs are the number of total miles driven by each employee for a roundtrip commute. By recording the distance of the roundtrip commute with the employee's enrollment form, an ETC can make a calculation on how many VMTs are "saved" with each strategy and trip. Some examples are:

Transit, Bicycles and Walkers
The rider's roundtrip commute distance is recorded for VMTs saved.

Vanpools and Carpools
Each vanpool or carpool rider's roundtrip commute distance is added together for VMTs saved. The driver is not counted.

Teleworkers
Teleworkers' roundtrip commute distances are recorded for VMTs saved. In some instances, employees only telework half days. Although one of their trips to the work site is probably outside the rush hour and has air quality benefits, there are no actual VMT savings.

Alternative Work Schedules
Flextime workers don't count as VMT savings. However, with compressed work weeks, for each work day not worked, the roundtrip distance for each employee is recorded as VMTs saved.

Other Calculations
A variety of other calculations can be reported, such as the average number of riders in a vehicle, and some are required for air quality regulations in certain regions across the United States; however, there are no regulations requiring this kind of detail in Texas. Additional calculations are detailed in Section 5.

The Clean Air Partner program—a Central Texas initiative aimed at reducing commute ozone emissions from employees—also requires a limited amount of reporting on Commute Solutions efforts. An online reporting system allows ETCs simply to input the number of participants for each type of program to quantify air quality benefits.

15. Develop a Ride Matching System
Two important Commute Solutions strategies (vanpooling and carpooling) require ride matching—finding employees who have compatible schedules, personalities and preferences who can share a ride, or "rideshare."

If it sounds easy, it isn't. Even if two employees live on the same block, a 15-minute schedule difference coupled with a manager inflexible about arrival times can spoil the chances for a rideshare. Therefore, an ETC has to not only find the matches but also work out the myriad of details that may be needed to make them mutually beneficial.

Ride Match Basics
A vital component to any Commute Solutions program is a form filled out by employees interested in participating. The form should include questions regarding the employee's:

• Address
• Schedule
• Flexibility with arrival and departure times
• Work location at the site
• Interest in driving, riding or both
• Interest in ridesharing with those outside of the organization
• Days they most likely can participate
• Special requirements or needs (such as needing a car for job responsibilities)

Once an ETC has the information, it is time to attempt to match other employees at the site and at nearby employers.

A database that can search for the above attributes is extremely helpful. For example, if a new employer joins a company and inquires about any carpools in the Lago Vista area, a search of the database for Lago Vista and its ZIP code can bring up anyone else that has expressed interest in that area. The database also would include existing carpools and vanpools.

Databases can be customized to perform complex searches for ride matches based on a variety of attributes. Additionally, software that handles program enrollment and ride matching is available from the private sector (See Resources, below).

Of course, paper files with interested employees grouped by area and type also will work, although the process will be more time consuming.

Ride Matching by Capital Metro and the State of Texas
In addition to your own ride matching efforts, those of Capital Metro, the Austin region's transit authority, should be utilized (See Resources, below) An online form lets interested employees inquire directly about matches for carpools and vanpools, or an ETC can have the transit authority run a search of its database for case-by-case matches. An advantage of using the Capital Metro database is that it searches for records of all employees in a specific area, rather than just one work site. (Sensitive information, such as an employee's address is not given out to the public.)

Additionally, the State of Texas has a ride matching service for state employees sponsored by the State Energy Conservation Office. Interested employees submit their information and can search for matches (See Resources below).

Specialized Maps
With specialized geographic information system software, Capital Metro can use your list of employees and their ZIP codes to create maps that show how many employees you have in each ZIP code. With a list of actual addresses, these maps can give precise locations to help make ride matching more effective; however companies often are not comfortable providing such detailed information about their employees.

As an alternative, an ETC can create matching maps by using enlarged paper maps, pins and stickers to visually demonstrate where employees live. Online map sites that present addresses on printable maps also are a handy tool.

Bulletin Boards
Bulletin boards—whether an actual board or an online system—are an effective way to encourage employees to take the initiative in finding ride matches. However, the downside can be a lack of follow through when it comes to relying on individual employees to arrange rideshares; therefore, an ETC should monitor activity closely, and not rely solely on bulletin boards.

Rideshare Events
ZIP code mixers—events where employees interested in ridesharing gather with nametags denoting their ZIP codes—are a fun and popular way to let employees meet and look for matches (See Marketing, Section 3, for more information on events).

Rideshare Resources:

Capital Metro
www.capitalmetro.org
e-mail: alternative.transit@capmetro.org
512-389-7516
Offers an online ride matching form

State Energy Conservation Office (SECO)
www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us
512-463-876
Offers a searchable rideshare database for State of Texas employees

16. Evaluate the Program and Take Pride in Success
With VMT savings and participation rates, an ETC can evaluate success based on the goals set for the program. After employers evaluate their existing programs, they can make modifications to plan for future success. Additionally, employers can gain public recognition in the media and be potentially eligible for awards from environmental and government organizations for their hard work and efforts to keep the air clean and roads less congested.

17. Share with the Community
An ETC also can share success stories, challenges and other information with the community at large. Several government and nonprofit organizations have working groups dedicated to transportation and air quality issues. An employer may choose to send its ETC to the groups on an occasional or ongoing basis to help with the efforts. In addition to the Commute Solutions Coalition, regional efforts include:

Clean Air Partners Program
www.cleanairpartnerstx.org
512-343-SMOG
A CLEAN AIR Force program that recruits employers to commit to reductions in commute-related ozone emissions. The program provides recognition to Partners for their efforts and records ozone emission reductions from a variety of sources.

Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Clean Air Task Force
www.austinchamber.org
512-478-9383
The Task Force studies air quality issues related to the region's business community, provides input to government agencies involved in air quality planning and supports the Clean Air Partners program.

CLEAN AIR Force of Central Texas (CAF)
www.cleanairforce.org
512-343-SMOG
A nonprofit that provides technical assessments of air quality issues and educates the public about air quality issues.

Forms / Templates

•    Transportation Survey (Word)

•    Transportation Survey (PDF)

•    Site Analysis Worksheet (Word)

•    Site Analysis Worksheet (PDF)