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Employer

Who We Are

Alamo Commutes provides complimentary consultations to businesses starting or enhancing their commuter benefits programs. We are a free program provided by the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

What We Do

We make it easy for your employees to choose sustainable, affordable, and healthy ways to get to work. We consult with employers on how to support diverse transportation modes, take advantage of tax benefits, and promote transportation alternatives.

Why Us

As a free service, we work with you to customize, create and easily administer employee transportation benefits. Our client-serving team is here to benefit both your bottom line and your employees.


What are the benefits?


Services

Free Consultation

Alamo Commutes can visit your work site to consult with employers and employees on their commute needs. Contact Lily Teran -teran@alamoareampo.org to schedule a free consultation today.


Employee Commute Surveys & Analysis Reports

Our commuter survey gauges employees’ commute patterns and identifies the motivations and concerns of the employees. Using select survey results, Alamo Commutes will create maps that depicts the travel patterns and multimodal options for your staff.


Walk and Bike Audit

Alamo Commutes and staff from your organization can conduct a joint audit to observe and document the challenges and opportunities for accessing the work site on foot and bike.


Earn Recognition

Alamo Commutes staff will assist with the application process for the following recognitions:

  • Best Workplaces for Commuters
  • Bicycle Friendly Business
  • Bicycle Friendly University
  • ReWorksSA

Presentations & Workshops

Alamo Commutes staff is available to present at health fairs, lunch & learns, employee fairs, and new hire orientations.

Alamo Commutes Carpool Finder and Emergency Ride Home Program

Alamo Commutes staff can give a demonstration over the Alamo Commutes Mobile App used to form carpools, earn rewards, and provide emergency ride homes for employees.


Street Skills

Alamo Commutes staff can conduct a “Street Skills” class that prepares employees for riding a bike to work. This presentation comes with a free helmet and bike lights for each attendee.


Bike Month and Bike to Work Day

Alamo Commutes staff can help coordinate a Bike to Work day and help encourage participation for Bike Month (May) at your workplace.


Transit 101/Vanpool 101

Alamo Commutes staff can present transit options, commuter benefits, and offer vanpool support.


Email Templates

Need help spreading the word? Use our email templates to help inform your workplace about how to use the VIA goMobile+ app, find safe bicycle routes to work, use the Emergency Ride Home Program, and more!


Partnership Process

Is your employer interested in receiving free Alamo Commutes services? Our trained staff can help you reevaluate your employee benefits, address parking demands, and support your work site relocation.

Employers must have at least one work site located in the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO) study area and can select single or multiple services from the list above. Study area includes Bexar County, Guadalupe County, Comal County, and parts of Kendall County.

Interested in Becoming a Champion? Alamo Commutes provides long-term consultative services for employers interested in a more comprehensive review of their commuter benefits program.

Alamo Commutes Champions are accepted on a limited basis. Request an Alamo Commutes consultation by emailing Lily Teran, Commute Solutions Outreach Specialist, at teran@alamoareampo.org.


Commute-Friendly Workplace

Foster a commuter-friendly workplace by encouraging employees to take advantage of more sustainable modes of transportation. In addition to mode-specific encouragement tactics, employers can implement company-wide strategies to target employees:

  • Inform employees of the Alamo Commutes rewards program. Record your sustainable transportation trips on the Alamo Commutes app to earn unique discounts at local and national retailers and restaurants.
  • Inform employees of the Alamo Commutes Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program. The Emergency Ride Home program reimburses alternative transportation commuters for their taxi/Uber/Lyft ride home.
  • Provide information on sustainable commute options at new hire orientation, in the employee handbook, and the benefits guide.
  • Subsidize costs of alternative transportation modes. Using commuter tax benefits, allow employees to take pre-tax deductions to pay for commute costs.
  • Provide a commuter awards program that rewards employees that take alternative transportation. For example, employees may be recognized at staff meetings or given additional vacation time.
2018 Best Workplaces for Commuters banner

Transportation Options

Encouraging your employees to bike is a great way to promote a healthy workforce and an environmentally-friendly travel mode.


How can I create a bike-friendly workplace?

  1. Develop a bike culture.
    • Host bicycle-oriented events, such as monthly bike commuter breakfasts, celebrating Bike to Work Day, and fostering company bicycle groups.
  2. Provide bicycle facilities.
    • Provide cyclists locker rooms, bicycle storage, bike racks, and bicycle maintenance tools. Provide free helmets and bike lights to encourage safe cycling.
  3. Offer bicycle education and maintenance classes.
    • For more information on classes, contact the Alamo Commutes team.
  4. Display helpful bicycle information.
    • Post materials such as bike maps, greenway maps, and bicycle safety guides. Provide information on social bicycle clubs and upcoming rides.
  5. Request a Swell Cycle station for your work site.
    • Alternatively, request dockless vehicles (bicycles or scooters) for your work site. Or provide company bicycles that employees can check out.
  6. Provide the bicycle commuter tax benefit.
    • Employers can reimburse employees up to $20 per month, tax-free, for bicycle commuting related expenses.
  7. Educate employees.
    • Regularly remind employees of the Alamo Commutes rewards program and Emergency Ride Home.
Apply for the Bicycle Friendly Business Award

Reduce your work site parking demand by encouraging employees to opt for public transit instead.


Foster a bus-friendly workplace by:

  1. Providing transit options.
    • The VIA Works program provides employer options for purchasing transit fares. Monthly bus passes, Annual passes and Van Pool are all available.
    • VIAWorks is a great way to recruit talent, improve attendance and reduce parking needs.
    • It is a great way to positively impact your work environment.
  2. Providing rider amenities.
    • Request a bus stop or upgraded bus shelter from VIA Metropolitan Transit.
    • If your work site has early and late shifts, request extended bus service.
    • Provide a parking cash out for employees that use public transit.
  3. Providing educational materials.
    • Provide informative materials on-site, such as bus route maps.
    • Inform employees of the Alamo Commutes rewards program and Emergency Ride Home.

Employees that ride together to work exhibit higher levels of productivity, reduced stress, and improved social bonds.


Make your workplace car-smart.

  • Foster a carpool and vanpool-friendly workplace.
    • Encourage employees to find their carpool match for free using the Alamo Commutes app. Invite Alamo Commutes staff to present on their carpool matching serivce and help employees sign up.
    • Provide information on the VIA Metropolitan Transit vanpool program. Subsidize the cost of the van rental.
    • Host “Meet Your Neighbor” mixers where employees can meet their potential carpool matches.
    • Provide preferred carpool/vanpool parking or parking discounts for carpoolers.
    • Encourage employees to go car-free (at work, at least) by providing transportation services at the work site.
  • Foster a car-lite workplace by:
    • Requesting a carshare service at your work site. For example, Zipcar provides employer accounts for a $75 start-up fee. Estimate the monthly cost to your business on the Zipcar website.
    • Providing company cars to use for personal and professional needs during the work day.
    • Requesting a Swell Cycle station for your work site. Alternatively, request dockless vehicles (bicycles or scooters) for your work site. Or provide company bicycles that employees can check out.
    • Working with a transportation service like Uber or Lyft to provide ride credits for employees.
    • Encourage employees to opt for webinars or conference calls, when available, instead of taking in-person meetings.
    • Provide on-site amenities such as a cafeteria or gym.

Flexible scheduling can help both employers and employees. Employees benefit from improved work-life balance and employers benefit from reduced absenteeism, improved retention rates, and improved employee morale.


Implement flexible scheduling in your workplace:

  1. Provide flexible scheduling guidelines.
    • Establish a company-wide flexible scheduling policy, with specific guidelines for telecommuting, compressed work weeks, and flex-time.
    • For telecommuting, provide employer/employee agreements and encourage supervisors to implement training for employees.
  2. Subsidize technology costs.
    • Set aside a portion of your company’s budget to fund telecommuting arrangements, including computer equipment and home office supplies.
  3. Promote flexible scheduling arrangements.
    • Share policies for flexible scheduling arrangements at new hire orientation, open enrollment, and staff meetings.
    • Include guidelines for flexible scheduling arrangements into new hire packets and benefits guides.

Employers can encourage employees to opt for alternative transportation through providing either parking incentives or parking penalties. Parking management can significantly reduce worksite parking demand.


Manage parking demand in your workplace:

  1. Offer a parking cash out.
    • Provide employees a cash incentive to give up their parking space.
  2. Provide preferred parking.
    • For employees that carpool or vanpool, provide reserved parking spaces near the entrance.
  3. Charging employees for parking.
    • Free parking incentivizes employees to drive to work – and leaves less parking for customers and visitors.
  4. Fund commuter benefits.
    • Using parking revenue to fund alternative transportation benefits such as bus passes, bicycle parking, and rewards programs.

Walking not only energizes your employees, it cuts down on your insurance and healthcare costs. If employees aren’t able to walk to work, encourage them to walk to lunch and nearby meetings.


Foster a pedestrian-friendly workplace:

  1. Conduct a walkability audit.
    • Invite Alamo Commutes staff to conduct a walkability audit of your work site. Alamo Commutes will identify barriers to walkability and recommend solutions.
  2. Provide resources.
    • Provide pedestrian resources such as pedestrian safety guides and reflective clothing.
  3. Incorporate physical activity.
    • Support employee-administered walking groups. Encourage supervisors to conduct walking meetings.
  4. Provide facilities.
    • Provide showers and locker rooms.
  5. Walk to lunch.
    • Encourage employees to walk to lunch or nearby meetings rather than drive.
  6. Offer safety training.
    • Invite Alamo Commutes to conduct pedestrian safety training for employees.