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Employer Services

Commute.org’s Employer Programs team helps employers and property managers in San Mateo County who are interested in encouraging their employees and tenants to make smart transportation choices: carpooling; vanpooling; taking a bus, train, shuttle or ferry; biking; and walking. Our team works with employers to create custom, easy-to-administer commuter benefits programs. We also organize events for employers to come together to discuss commuter transportation in the Bay Area region, like Commute.org’s Annual Symposium.

Commute.org Services

  • Free consultations and trainings for HR Managers, Office Administrators, Facility Managers, Employee Transportation Coordinators, or TDM Program Managers in San Mateo County
  • Facilitation of employer participation in Commute.org’s Commuter Shuttle Program
  • Webinars and on-site presentations or events to promote commuter benefits, personalized commute plans, and vanpool/carpool matching for your employees
  • See the General Employer Handout for an overview of our services to employers.

Contact an Employer Programs Representative Today

Request Tabling for Your Upcoming Event

STAR Platform for Employers

Employers can have their own free, customized network on the Commute.org STAR platform to connect their employees to commute options, offer incentives, and track the organization’s drive-alone rate and carbon emissions reductions.

Employers are invited to use STAR to create or enhance their commuter benefit programs. STAR offers different levels of opportunities for employers. For more information on these opportunities, check out our STAR Guide for Employers.

Bike Safety Workshops

Commute.org offers FREE virtual or on-site bicycle safety workshops at workplaces and other locations throughout San Mateo County. They are typically 60 minutes and include time for Q&A. We can also provide marketing assistance to get the word out to employees, as well as arrange workshops at multi-employer worksites.

The workshop covers practical and safety information including:

  • Planning your route, including connections to transit stations
  • Equipping yourself and your bike
  • Way to safely and confidently communicate with other road users
  • Using Google Maps to explore route options
  • Other resources including San Mateo County’s bikeways and safe cycling booklet

To request a workshop, fill out the form (limit one per employer per fiscal year July 1-June 30).

Request a Bike Workshop

Employee Commuter Benefits

There are other basic benefits that workplaces can offer your employees:

  • Transit: To encourage commuter on public transit, some employers offer employees free or subsidized transit passes.
  • Vanpool Rewards: Another way employers support their employees using sustainable transportation modes is by subsidizing vanpool seats, paying drivers, and/or providing a vehicle.
  • Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits: The Internal Revenue Code allows employees to use pre-tax dollars toward their transit and vanpool commuting costs. The 2024 limit is $315 per month.
  • Parking Policies: Employers and property managers can reduce parking demand with a range of parking policies: preferred carpool parking, charging a daily rate for parking (rather than distributing monthly/quarterly passes), unbundling parking from office leases (for property managers), and parking cash out programs.
  • Employee Trip Planning + Ride Matching Assistance: One-on-one and small group sessions with employees can help them explore their commute options.
  • Commuter Shuttle Program: By providing first/last mile shuttles (or joining Commute.org’s shuttle program), employers make it easier for their employees to commute by public transit. Shuttles transport employees between public transit stations and offices.

Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program

Bay Area employers with 50 or more full-time employees are required to register and offer at least one commuter benefit option to comply with Air District Regulation 14, Rule 1, also known as the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program. Commute.org does not administer this program, but we can help analyze current benefit offerings and recommend options for compliance. To comply with the program requirements, an employer must:

  • Register at commuterbenefits.511.org and update registration annually
  • Designate a Commuter Benefits Coordinator or Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program representative
  • Select a pre-approved commuter benefits option or propose an alternative
  • Notify employees of the commuter benefits and how they can use the benefits. The employer must keep records to document how and when they notified employees about the commuter benefits

Clipper BayPass

Clipper BayPass gives your employees unlimited travel on all Bay Area transit services — bus, rail and ferry.

Employers can purchase Clipper BayPass cards at a custom discounted price to provide all employees with unlimited access to transit services throughout the Bay Area. Join the Clipper BayPass Pilot Program and be one of the first to enjoy the benefits of unlimited transit! Colleges, universities and other institutions can also sign up for Clipper BayPass! Fill out an interest form to get started.

Best Workplaces for Commuters

Apply to be a Best Workplace for Commuters here (not a Commute.org program). Best Workplaces for Commuters encourages companies to offer programs that makes workers’ commutes easier. Whether you are concerned with employee job satisfaction, company finances, maintaining a positive organizational image, or improving quality of life in your community and the global environment, Best Workplaces for Commuters is a natural choice to meet your needs.

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