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Stressless Commuting |
Employers
and employees receive incentives for altering daily commute practices.
By
Liese Hutchison
Commuters spend hours on the road every week driving to and from
work, generally in their cars, by themselves. This ritual can
be both stressful and expensive, taking a toll on morale, productivity,
and our environment. A local non-profit group, Citizens for Modern
Transit (CMT) can help eliminate some of that stress and expense
by showing employers how to take advantage of financial incentives
and programs aimed at alternative commute options (i.e. – mass
transit and ridesharing).
“Twenty-six area employers, with approximately 30,000 employees,
are already working with CMT’s Transportation Management Association”
notes Association director, Kim Cella. “We work with companies
in downtown St. Louis and Clayton showing employers how to achieve
payroll savings and providing them with instructional literature
about a variety of commute strategies.” Each of those 26 members
designates an “Employee Transportation Coordinator” (ETC) who
works directly with Cella to effect company-specific programs.
Shari Smith, at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, serves as
a “transit vendor” for both Bi-State Development and Madison County
Transit Agencies. “I sell 35 to 40 transit passes each month to
our employees,” Smith says, providing a value-added benefit to
employees who would otherwise have to trek to the lone Agency
ticket office downtown. “We also put out CMT and Bi-State literature
in the cafeteria and advocate mass transit use since we’re on
a convenient bus and MetroLink route.” Blue Cross is located on
Market Street downtown across from Union Station.
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Supportive
Companies
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Twenty-six businesses and organizations in Clayton and
Downtown St. Louis support Citizens For Modern Transit’s
Transportation Management Association by offering employees
incentives to use alternative means for commuting to work:
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- American
Express Travel
- AG
Edwards
- Blue
Cross Blue Shields of Missouri
- The
Brown Group
- Clark
Refining
- City
of Clayton
- Clayton
Schools
- Commerce
Bank
- CPI
Corp.
- Department
of Veterans Affairs
- The
Earthgrains Co
- Firstar
- Frick
Co.
- Greensfelder,
Hemker & Gale
- HOK
- Laclede
Gas
- RCGA
- St.
Louis County
- St.
Louis Public Schools
- St.
Louis State Hospital
- State
of Missouri
- Stifel,
Nicolaus & Co.
- US
Postal Service
- Wainwright
State Office Building
- Washington
University School of Medicine
- Washington
University
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In addition
to ETC transit pass sales, some companies are also subsidizing
passes. Greensfelder Hemker & Gale, a downtown law firm, supports
mass transit by paying for monthly passes for its employees. In
addition, notes ETC Sarah Allen, the firm will also pay for employees’
parking if they are involved in a carpool. “We give reserved parking
spots to carpools,” she points out. “It’s a good incentive.”
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Inc. is also a transit pass vendor
and allows employees to use pre-tax payroll deductions to cover
the cost of transit passes. “We have about 60 associates who participate
in payroll deduction for MetroLink and Bi-State passes, “ notes
Laura Krebel, an Assistant ETC.
“By offering pre-tax payroll deductions, employees and employers,
alike, save money by paying less in taxes,” Cella points out.
Federal law allows up to $65 per month, per employee in deductions
for transit benefits, which can be applied to mass transit or
ridesharing arrangements. Transit passes in St. Louis cost only
$40 per month.
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Carpooling
or vanpooling can be a daunting task for individuals interested
in finding compatible partners with compatible schedules
who are able to accommodate the occasional scheduling
glitch. Ridefinders, who works closely with the
TMA, is an organization that helps with that scheduling.
Ridefinders keeps a database of individuals, from throughout
the region (and many outside the region) who are interested
in ridesharing. Ridefinders can assist in setting up carpools,
helping employers establish van pools and assists poolers
in getting home or to work when special circumstances
arise. For details, contact Ridefinders at 1-800-VIP-RIDE
or visit www.ridefinders.org.
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Some companies offer partial subsidies on passes. For instance,
AG Edwards and the Wainwright State Office Building pay $20 and
$30, respectively, toward the cost of passes for participating
employees. Wainwright leases parking for state employees at $64
per space, per month. By offering the transit subsidy (in lieu
of a parking pass), the employer saves $34 per employee, per month,
in addition to tax and other related payroll savings. More than
100 employees at Wainwright participate in this plan (do the math).
Cella adds “that the TMA also encourages placement of bike racks
at work, cash-back incentives for employees not taking up parking
spaces, and use of posters, handouts drawings and contests for
employees.”
For further information about involvement in the Transportation
Management Association, contact Kim Cella at 314/231-7272 or visit
www.cmt-stl.org
Liese L. Hutchison is an assistant professor in the department
of communication at Saint Louis University and a free-lance writer.
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