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45 chapter three EmployEE CommutE options stratEgiEs and thE airport EnvironmEnt This chapter includes a description of ECO program strate- gies that have the potential to shift airport employees from the commute by SOV to modes that generate fewer vehicle trips per employee. Some of the strategies are being applied at the five case study airports included in this study (BOS, STN, LAX, PDX, and SFO), and some are being used by non-airport employers and employment centers that were reviewed for this study. In general, a program with one strat- egy will not make much of an impact on influencing com- mute choices; however, a combination of strategies tailored to the employee population being targeted has the potential to reduce the employee trip generation rate. The strategies included in this chapter are being applied at an airport in which the airport operator was interviewed for this study, unless otherwise noted. The Categorized Bibliography, in the section Guidance on Employee Commute Options Program Development or Mea- surement of Benefits of Appendix A, lists some documents on the development of an ECO program and measuring program benefits. inCEntivEs There are a variety of strategies that provide incentives for employees to commute by alternatives to the SOV, many of which reduce the cost to the employee of commuting by other modes. subsidies Employers pay all or part of the employee cost to commute by public transportation, privately operated scheduled HOV modes, ridesharing, or bicycle. Subsidy of Alternative Commute Modes Childrenâs Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, fully subsidizes the employee commute by all modes that are alternatives to the single-occupant com- mute, including the Seattle Water Taxi and rollerblading. Staff who drive alone to work must pay for parking, and park in one of the hospitalâs remote park & ride lots (Best Workplaces for CommutersSM Success Stories 2011). provision of vanpools Vans are provided by the airport operator, program sponsor, vendor, or partner organization, for employee vanpooling to work. The leasing and maintenance costs, insurance, and sometimes the fuel costs are paid for by the airport operator, program sponsor, or partner organization, and participating employees pay a monthly fee, which may be subsidized by the employer. Ride-matching services are provided to the employee, as well as information on related benefits such as subsidies, preferential parking, and a guaranteed ride home. Provision of Vanpools Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) leases 65 eight- passenger vans and charges the vanpool participants a monthly fare based on mileage traveled less the subsidies they are eligible for. The driver of the van participates free of charge in return for handling driving responsibilities and managing the vehicle. LAWA provides a $60 per month van- pool subsidy to LAWA employees. In addition, the regional transit operator, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Trans- portation Authority (Metro), offers a $50 per seat monthly subsidy for vanpools based in Los Angeles County that are 70% occupied and open to the public. LAWA employees pay their monthly vanpool fare with pre-tax earnings. In June 2011, there were 502 employees participating in the 65 vanpools, which is a 97% occupancy rate, and 55 of the 65 vanpools were eligible for the Metro subsidy. pre-tax Earnings Employees may pay their portion of the cost to commute by public transportation, privately operated scheduled HOV modes, or vanpools with pre-tax earnings. Pre-tax Earnings, Transit Subsidy, Guaranteed Ride Home The Massachusetts Port Authority provides transit pass sub- sidies for its employees for 50% off the price of the transit pass up to $100. This benefit also applies to ticket booklets for the Logan Express, the Boston Logan International Air- port regional express bus system, and to the fares on the privately operated scheduled bus and van services. Employ- ees may pay their portion using pre-tax earnings. Massport employees commuting by alternatives to the single-occupant auto are eligible for an emergency ride home.
46 transportation discounts Airport employees are provided a discount from the full fare on public transportation services or privately operated sched- uled vans or buses. parking Cash-out Rather than the employerâs subsidizing parking, the employee is provided the equivalent amount of cash to pay for parking or to take an alternative to the single-occupant commute. Some employees will choose an alternative mode over park- ing if it is in their financial best interest. Work schedules For employees who do not need to be at their place of employ- ment every day or at specific times of the day, work schedule options provide an opportunity for eliminating vehicle trips or reducing trips at certain times of the day. Telecommuting For each day the employee who commutes by SOV is able to work from home, two one-way vehicle trips are eliminated at the airport. Compressed Work Week Employees conduct their weekly duties in longer shifts over fewer days, resulting in fewer commute trips to the airport. Common variations of the compressed work week are work- ing 80 hours over nine days in a 14-day period, or 40 hours over four days in a seven-day period. Compressed Work Week Sixty percent of the 150 Orange County employees working at John Wayne Airport (SNA), in Orange County, Califor- nia, work 80 hours over a nine-day period, which eliminates one out of ten round-trip journeys to the airport compared with the traditional schedule of 80 hours over a ten-day period (personal communication, Maria Pope, Airport Envi- ronmental Engineer, County of Orange, Aug. 2011). Flextime The employee may report to work later than the traditional start time and leave later, or start earlier and leave earlier. This would serve to shift the trips to another time of the day rather than reduce trips; however, the option of flextime may improve the possibilities for the employee being matched into a carpool or a vanpool. Flextime may also make public transportation more appealing if a different shift start or end time is a better match for public transportation service. In the airport environment, there are many shift workers for which flextime is not a possibility. rewards There are a number of ways employees may be rewarded for commuting using alternatives to the SOV, including cash, vacation days, gift certificates, or raffles. Cash Employees are paid a cash bonus for using an alternative mode to commute. The terms of the payment may be structured in a number of ways, such as a payment for each day an alterna- tive commute mode is chosen, or a monthly payment for com- muting a minimum number of days in an alternative mode. Cash Reward In 2007, the Logan TMA at Boston Logan International Airport offered participants who shifted from driving alone to work to commuting by carpool, public transportation, walking, or bicycling, a commuter cash incentive of $3 per day for up to 90 days. This was in addition to any transit subsidy or other incentives offered by their employer. Paid Leave Employees earn a certain amount of additional vacation time based on the number of times an alternative commute mode was used over a period of time (Best Workplaces for Com- mutersSM Success Stories 2011). Paid Leave Aetna US Healthcare in San Ramon, California, provides the opportunity for employees who commute using alterna- tives to the single occupant auto to earn up to five vacation days per year. In addition to the vacation bonus, Aetna offers free bus passes, free shuttle rides, a guaranteed ride home, preferred parking, bicycle parking, showers, and lockers (Best Workplaces for CommutersSM Success Stories 2011). Goods and Services Employees commuting by alternatives to the SOV earn points that may be redeemed for goods and services. Drawings Employees are entered into a periodic drawing for prizes based their level of participation (Best Workplaces for Com- mutersSM Success Stories 2011).
47 Prize Drawings The employee commute options program provided by Nike Inc., located in Beaverton, Oregon, is called Traveling Responsibly via Alternative Commuting (TRAC). Employ- ees commuting by alternatives to the single-occupant auto are entered in monthly and quarterly drawings for prizes with a value between $20 and $400. There are approxi- mately 15 winners each month and 70 winners each quarter (Best Workplaces for CommutersSM Success Stories 2011). supporting stratEgiEs The strategies in this category improve the viability of com- muting by modes other than the SOV by providing alterna- tives or solutions to some of the circumstances for which the employee needs to drive alone to work. ride-matching services Employees are matched for carpools and vanpools, either through services provided by the airport operator, the ECO pro- gram sponsor, or by an outside organization. At a minimum, the airport operator or program sponsor promotes the ride- matching program to employees, and provides the employee with information on related benefits such as subsidies, prefer- ential parking, and a guaranteed ride home. guaranteed ride home/Emergency ride home Employees commuting by alternatives to the SOV are pro- vided with a ride home by taxicab or rental car, or reimburse- ment for transportation home, under circumstances in which the employee needs to depart the airport later or leave earlier than the normal departure time and cannot be accommodated by his/her regular commute option. There may be a limit on the number of times per year the employee is eligible for this benefit, or the amount of money spent on each trip. Guaranteed Ride Home All City and County of San Francisco employees who do not drive alone to work, including Airport Commission employees working at San Francisco International Airport, are entitled to a guaranteed ride home by transit, taxi, or rental car up to four times per year if an emergency or unex- pected overtime prevents them from getting home via their regular commute mode. They are reimbursed for the cost of the guaranteed ride home up to $200 per trip. preferential parking for Carpools and vanpools Parking is provided for carpools and vanpools at a more desirable location in relation to the workplace than the over- all employee parking supply. It may also be offered free or at a discount compared with the parking fee for the SOV. transportation for midday trips Employees may choose to drive alone to work because they need to make trips in the middle of the work day for busi- ness or personal reasons. To mitigate this, the employer may make transportation available for these trips. Business The employer provides vehicles or bicycles for employees to use as needed for business-related trips during the workday. Personal A car-sharing service is provided at the airport for employ- ees to rent vehicles for the occasional short trip during the workday, such as a doctorâs appointment. The employer may subsidize all or part of the service for employees based on their use of alternatives to the drive-alone commute. Alterna- tively, the employer may allow use of company automobiles for personal trips. The employer may also provide bicycles for short personal trips during the workday. on-site amenities The provision of on-site amenities such as a dry cleaner, a gym, or a childcare facility allows the employee to accom- plish some daily tasks on-site, eliminating the need for an automobile for certain tasks. Commuting by Bicycle The provision of a bicycle infrastructure that allows a safe and comfortable commute by bicycle will serve as an incentive to employees who live within a certain distance of the airport. The employer may also subsidize bicycles for employees. This includes: ⢠Bicycle parking, such as bicycle racks and secure bicy- cle parking facilities ⢠Routes that are safe for bicycling on and in the vicinity of airport property ⢠Shower and locker facilities at the employment site ⢠Financial assistance for the purchase of a bicycle. Bicycle Parking, Repair, Locker and Shower Facilities The Port of Portland provides its employees with a secure indoor bicycle storage facility for more than 50 bicycles at the Port headquarters building at Portland International Airport (PDX), covered bicycle parking areas adjacent to the north and south end of the PDX arrivals curb, and a fenced-in park- ing area available to all airport employees with security badges. The storage facility at the Port headquarters building includes a bicycle repair and assembly station and tools. Shower and locker facilities are adjacent to the storage facility.
48 Discounted Bicycle Purchase BAA Stansted employees may purchase a tax-free bicycle through BAA Stansted, and pay for it in installments through payroll deduction. This is the result of a government program that allows employers to provide bicycle and safety equip- ment to their employees as a tax-free benefit. The program reduces the price of the bicycle to the employee by as much as 50%. The employer pays for a bicycle, and leases it to the employee through payroll deduction until the employee has paid the price of the bicycle less taxes. The employer is eli- gible to apply for the tax rebate on the bicycle. disinCEntivEs Disincentives identified are related to the provision of employee parking. Because the fee for employees to park at a U.S. airport is typically free or lower compared with what an employee would pay to park in the downtown area, and often lower than what the employee would pay to use public transportation, there is no financial incentive to use public transportation or other alternative modes. An adjustment to the price to park, or to the parking location in relation to the workplace that costs the employee more money or time to drive alone to work, may cause the employee to reconsider commuting by alternative modes. parking pricing U.S. airports often charge employees a monthly fee to park that is less than the cost to operate the parking space. The monthly fee to the employee could be increased to achieve cost recovery, or by an even greater amount, to discourage employees from commuting by SOV. One approach would be to set the monthly price of parking equal to or greater than the average cost of a monthly transit pass (Online TDM Encyclopedia 2011). parking location The employee parking supply for SOVs is located so that there is a longer travel time between the parking space and the place of employment, compared with the time it takes to get to the place of employment from parking spaces designated for carpool and vanpools or from the public transportation boarding and alighting point. For example, rideshare parking spaces are adjacent to the work site, and spaces for single- occupant commuters are located in a lot that requires a shuttle ride to the work site. markEting A critical element of a successful ECO program is the provi- sion of information on a regular basis that allows employees to understand what is available, how it benefits them, and how to participate. Information may be distributed in a num- ber of ways: ⢠Printed materials such as brochures and posters on display in public places, including bulletin boards in places where employees congregate, in elevators, and in lobby areas. ⢠Employee newsletters that include topics related to alternative commute modes in every issue. These could be distributed in hard copy or electronically. ⢠Orientation materials for new employees. ⢠Campaigns to encourage employees to commute by alter- natives to the SOV. Incentives or a slogan may assist in generating employee interest. ⢠Holding events to promote ridesharing, public transpor- tation use, walking, and biking. They may be held as separate events or as part of an event that has a related theme, such as health, the environment, or bicycling. ⢠A website that provides information on alternatives to driving alone to work, with information on incentives and links to relevant resources, such as a trip planner provided by the regional public transportation authority or a carpool matching website. Parking Location Port of Portland employees have a choice of three places to park at Portland International Airport (PDX), with the most convenient location to the Port of Portland headquarters building being the most expensive for employees driving alone to work, as shown in the table below. The driver of a carpool is eligible to pay $20 per month to park in the public parking garage versus the $80 fee the SOV driver is assessed. Passengers in the carpool must purchase a monthly permit for the nearby surface lot, to use on days when they are not carpooling. Port of Portland Employee Parking Options Facility Distance to Headquarters Monthly Parking Fee, SOV Monthly Parking Fee, Carpool Participants PDX Employee Surface Lot 2 miles $0 $0 Port of Portland Employee Surface Lot Walking dis- tance $20 $20 (passengers) Public Parking Garage Adjacent $80 $20 (driver)
49 ⢠E-mail messages as needed to remind employees of what is available to them, to describe new benefits, or to alert them to promotions and events. ⢠The use of social media such as Facebook or Twitter to develop an online community for ECOs. Campaign Slogan In Columbus, Ohio, the Defense Finance & Accounting Service teamed up with the regional ridesharing organization to try to increase its 14% employee rideshare participation. They jointly launched a campaign called âSkip a Trip for Cleaner Air,â to increase awareness in the rideshare program (Best Workplaces for CommutersSM Success Stories 2011). Marketing Strategy Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) informs LAWA employees at LAX about the Rideshare program through a new employee orientation, employee fairs, and an employee newsletter that is sent by e-mail, posted on the LAWA intranet, and distributed in hard copy to various work locations. The Rideshare office also posts articles in other LAWA newsletters. In addition, all LAX employees may learn about the Rideshare program through the Rideshare page on the LAWA website. The LAWA Rideshare office currently hosts or partici- pates in four to six events per year, including Bike to Work Week and a Haunted Halloween Open House called RideSCARE. Prizes are offered to employees who attend the fairs. program managEmEnt This includes the provision of dedicated staff, or a collective effort among employers responsible for an ECO program, to develop and adjust strategies, conduct outreach to employ- ees, and monitor progress. Designated staff may be available at a location during certain hours to provide information to employees on commute options. dedicated staff provided by Employer The provision of dedicated staff to provide employees with information, plan and administer program elements, develop partnerships with outside agencies, track employee commute patterns, and monitor progress ensures that there is a commit- ment to the program. Dedicated staff may also provide trip planning and ride-matching services. Designated staff of the airport operator may also conduct outreach to other airport employers to provide them with guidance on how to provide their employees with commute options, or to inform them of benefits that are available to their employees such as a regional ridesharing program. Collective involvement among airport Employers Often there are more than 100 employers located at medium and large hub airports. Their employees will face some of the same commute characteristics and challenges. Collective efforts among airport employers to encourage employees to commute using alternatives to the SOVs could yield bet- ter results than each employer working alone. Examples of such efforts could include the exchange of ideas on a formal or informal basis, pooling resources to develop initiatives and marketing materials, securing outside resources such as grants, or developing a mechanism for employees to com- municate to form carpools and vanpools. One structure for collective involvement is a TMA, typi- cally a group of employers in a certain geographic area that work together to solve common transportation issues and pool resources to offer commute services and benefits to member employees (Online TDM Encyclopedia 2011). The individual employers may also offer some benefits to their employees in addition to the TMA. In the airport environment, this could be a TMA exclusively for airport employers or a TMA covering a larger geographic area that includes the airport. Central Location An office is provided where employees may obtain informa- tion on the ECO program. Other activities may include trip planning, ride-matching, and the distribution or sale of pub- lic transportation passes. Dedicated Staff and Central Location BAA Stansted provides an Airport Commuter Centre at London Stansted Airport (STN), where two full-time employ- ees provide STN employees with information on commute alternatives to the single-occupant auto, provide trip plan- ning and rideshare matching services, and sell public trans- portation passes. provision or EnhanCEmEnt of sChEdulEd transportation sErviCEs The airport operator or program sponsor works with transpor- tation providers to arrange additional scheduled publicly or privately operated transit service for the airport employee com- mute, which may include encouragement of new or enhanced services, financial assistance for a new or existing service, the provision of a new service, or a link to the transit system. Communication The airport operator or program sponsor works with existing transportation operators to encourage them to make schedule changes, increase service frequency, or add routes to better
50 accommodate airport employee schedules. The transporta- tion operator may also be asked to expand the service area of a bus route to accommodate other airport employment areas in addition to the passenger terminal area. Subsidies The airport operator or program sponsor provides a subsidy to a public transportation operator or a private scheduled HOV operator for the provision of additional service hours or fre- quency on an existing route, or for a new service to accommo- date airport employees. The airport operator may see additional benefit in providing the subsidy if the service will accommo- date both airport employees and air passengers. Subsidy of Public Transportation Route The San Francisco Airport Commission subsidizes the only bus route that operates between midnight and 6 a.m. in San Mateo County, where San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is located. Several years ago, the Airport Commis- sion requested the local transit operator, SamTrans, to pro- vide a bus route with all-night service to accommodate the SFO employee commute. As a result, SamTrans Route 397 now travels the length of San Mateo County. The Airport Commission subsidizes the unrecovered expenses on Route 397, based on the percentage of total trips generated by the airport. In 2009, approximately 20% of ridership on the route was generated by SFO. Initiating New Service The airport operator or program sponsor may initiate new ser- vice if existing transportation operators are unable or unwill- ing to do so, or to customize the route for airport employees. The service may function as a connection between the airport and a station served by the existing transportation system, a route serving neighborhoods with a large concentration of airport employees, or transportation between the terminal area and other airport employment sites. New Service Employee Shuttle Bus to Supplement Public Transportation ServiceâThe Massachusetts Port Authority provides fund- ing for the Sunrise Shuttle, an early morning shuttle service that serves an area in East Boston, which is the community surrounding Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), where a large concentration of BOS employees reside. The shuttle provides service every half hour between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., which is the period prior to the start of public transportation service. It serves as a public transportation option for employees with early morning work start times. Employees pay $1 per trip and other users pay $2 per trip. During 2010, there were between 500 and 750 passengers per month riding the Sunrise Shuttle. Massport launched a second route in another part of East Boston and the adja- cent community of Winthrop in October 2011. Shuttle Bus to Transit StationâThe Georgia Power/ Southern Company in Atlanta, Georgia, provides an employee shuttle between the work location and the near- est transit station (Best Workplaces for CommutersSM Success Stories 2011). Employee Bus SystemâGoogle, located in Mountain View, California, operates a system of buses to transport its employees between home and work. During 2007 Google operated 32 buses, each with a capacity for 37 passengers, providing 132 trips per day. At the time, the system served more than 12 cities, located up to 54 miles from Google (Helft 2007).
