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Commuter Solutions
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September 15, 2007 |
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Commuter
Solutions
In This Issue Student Transit
Pass
“Far and away, the best
prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing”.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
Emergency
Ride Home Employer Information Emergency
Ride Home Employee Registration Fall Service Adjustments (Effective Sept 16) We encourage you to print and post the following flyers and
posters at your workplace to inform your employees of transportation options
and regional road projects: Commuter
Solutions P.O. Box 7070 Commutersolutions@ltd.org www.commutersolutions.ltd.org Connie
Bloom Williams Marcia Maffei Lisa VanWinkle
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The Student Transit Pass Program (STPP)
that enables students in grades 6 through 12 to ride LTD for free will return
this fall beginning September 1, thanks to the Oregon Department of Energy
(ODOE). The LTD sticker placed on students’
2007 - 2008 school identification cards by school staff enables students to
ride anytime anywhere for free! Flyers describing the program have been
provided to area schools to distribute to families in back-to-school packets. The Student Transit Pass Program is
managed by Commuter Solutions as part of the Smart Ways to School Program
that encourages K-12 students to travel via walking, bicycling, carpooling,
and riding school or public buses to or from school. Visit www.swts.ltd.org for more information.
We are very pleased to welcome the
newest members of our ETC Network: Trish
Luna of Comfort Suites; Sarah McDonald
representing the Courtyard by Marriott, and Holiday Inn Express Hotel &
Suites on Gateway; Brittany Wright
from Oregon Medical Group Country Club Road Medical Center; Karli Wilbur from Isler CPA; Connie Curl of SAFE Inc.; and Lisa Duckett with VersaLogic. Welcome
aboard! Get On
Board! with ISTE and Semperian In April, Commuter Solutions conducted a
one-month Get On Board! campaign with ISTE and Semperian. The overall goal of the Get On Board!
campaign was to increase transit ridership in two sample group pass programs.
There were a total of 969 bus trips taken by 40 participants (11 new riders
to LTD). Employees saved close to 3,000
miles in April…….equal to a trip across the country! Check it Out — You May
Be a Winner! Don’t forget to check for your name in
the Commuter Solutions ETC Bulletin. If you spot your name in the bulletin,
you will win a $25 gift certificate to River Ranch Steakhouse. To claim your prize, call Marcia Maffei at
682-6206. Just to make it interesting,
we will be spelling your name backwards! Hold a Transportation Fair at Your Worksite! Let Commuter Solutions bring a
transportation fair to your worksite.
Transportation Fairs are a great way to promote commute alternatives
to your employees and provide them with the opportunity to speak directly
with Commuter Solutions about the many transportation options available. Please contact Marcia Maffei at 682-6206 to
plan your event. The International Society for
Technology and Education (ISTE) joined our Group Pass and Emergency Ride Home
programs just one month after moving to their new downtown Eugene location in
May 2006. A nonprofit membership
organization with 70 employees, ISTE provides leadership and service to
improve teaching, learning, and school leadership by advancing the effective
use of technology in K–12 and teacher education. Visit the ISTE website at www.iste.com to learn more. ISTE’s Employee Transportation
Coordinator (ETC) Danielle Huffman-Hanni, was instrumental in helping ISTE
employees participate in Commuter Solutions’ Get On Board! campaign. Her
coworkers saved our region close to a thousand vehicle miles last April! Danielle moved here from California two years
ago, is married and has a cat named “Lemieux.” October ETC Luncheon to Highlight Business Energy Tax Credit If your company provides transit passes
to your employees, or offers other options promoting travel by means other
than driving alone, you may qualify for the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit
(BETC). Gloria Yan of the Oregon
Department of Energy will present information on the Business Energy Tax
Credit at the next ETC Luncheon.
Please mark your calendar for this informative event, scheduled for
October 16, and watch the mail for your invitation! We encourage you to bring your accountant,
finance director, or CEO. Gloria will be pleased to answer all your questions
on Tax Credits for Transportation Options. You can recover up to 35% of your
expenses! Ivanna Shararide ~ Advice to the Travel Worn
Dear Perplexed, What a great question. You’ve already taken the first step in
supporting your employees’ use of alternative travel modes by asking for
assistance. Make it easier on your
employees to use transportation options by providing free parking places for
registered carpools, and covered bike parking for those who bike to work. Consider
offering incentives to employees and track their progress so you can show
them their results. Perhaps you could hold a celebration for participants? You might provide coffee and treats one day
or hold prize drawings. The possibilities are limitless. Another great way to increase employee
participation would be to have your company participate in the Eugene
Business Commute Challenge during the week of October 8. The business with
the highest percentage of employees having biked, walked, carpooled, or taken
the bus to work will receive a trophy that may be proudly displayed for years
to come. Last year, 70 businesses
representing more than 8,800 employees competed against one another in an
effort to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in Eugene. For
registration information please contact Cindy Clarke at 682-5285 or visit the
Commute
Challenge website. |
