Employee Commute Programs

In Marin County transportation accounts for 70% of GHG emissions. According to Natural Capitalism Solutions, businesses can save $2,000 per employee in commuting cost by using compressed work weeks, flextime, and allowing work from home. 

It's good for business.

Employers who offer and actively promote commute options can improve: employee recruitment and retention, attendance, productivity and morale in the workplace! Employers can reduce payroll taxes (toughly 9 percent of subject wages), and employees can lower their commute costs by up to 40 percent!

It's good for the environment.

Transportation choices improve communities by decreasing both traffic congestion and greenhouse gas and other toxic emissions. Transportation is the largest source of air pollution in the Bay Area. Marin residents drive over 2 billion miles each year. Transportation is responsible for more than half of Marin's greenhouse gas emissions.

It's good policy.

Reducing the growth in vehicle miles traveled is necessary to achieve the state's bold climate targets set by Assembly Bill 32 and Senate Bill 375. Senate Bill 1339 will enable the Bay Area to meet this challenge. To comply, with SB 1339, employers with 50 or more full-time employees must offer their employees one of the following:

• Paid transit, vanpooling or bicycling expenses with pre-tax dollars, as allowed by federal IRS law;
• A transit or vanpool subsidy up to $75 per month
• A free employer shuttle or vanpool; or
• A similar alternative program that increases shared commuting
• Smaller companies are encourage to offer similar programs to their employees.