Transcript Document

Why It Makes Sense to Provide
Campus Commuter Benefits
for Employees
Best Workplaces for CommutersSM
Connie Ruth, EPA
Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference
University of Maryland, November 3, 2005
Presentation Overview
Best Workplaces for CommutersSM
 Parking: reducing demand saves money
 National Standard of Excellence for Commuter
Benefits
 List of Colleges and Universities
 Tax break from commuter benefits
 Environmental benefit : COMMUTER model
 Easy on-line application
 Making it happen on your campus
2
“Obtaining a
campus parking
permit is really just
obtaining a license
to “hunt” for
a parking
space”
3
“A parking lot is just a
placeholder for a
future campus
building”
4
Save money:
Reduce parking demand
 Average Cost to build new
surface parking lot:
$1,500 to build 1 space +
$420/annual maintenance
 Average Cost to build new
parking garage
$17,400 to build 1 space +
$740/annual maintenance
5
Save money:
Reduce parking demand
The choice is yours:
1 single parking space:
Up to $17,400 to build
Up to $740/annual
maintenance
OR
Subsidize a year’s
worth of transit for over 70 commuters!
6
What to do?
Establish a
Comprehensive
Commuter
Benefits Program
7
In 2000 EPA in conjunction with the
U.S. Department of Transportation
established the
National Standard
of Excellence
for
Commuter Benefits
8
The National Standard of Excellence
for Commuter Benefits
 Designate contact person, centralize
information, and disseminate benefits
information to employees
 Offer excellent commuter benefits package
 Guaranteed/Emergency Ride Home
program
 One of four primary options
 Three or more supporting options
 Meet participation level (14% non-SOV)
 Report success
9
Primary Commuting Options
Choose one:
 Transit/vanpool subsidy
 Telecommuting
 Parking Cash-out
 Comparable Employer proposal
10
Supporting Commuting Options
Choose 3
 Active membership in TMA
 Up-to-date transportation information
 Bike lockers and showers
 Co-located with shops, day care, etc.
 Preferred parking for carpools/vanpools
 Compressed/flexible work schedules
 Rideshare matching
 Awards program
 Shuttles
 Many more options
on Web site
11
 1400 employers have
achieved the Best Workplaces
for Commuters designation
and 20 Business Districts in
32 states
 More than 2.8+ million
employees are covered by the
national standard of
excellence for commuter
benefits
12
Best Workplaces for CommutersSM
= transportation sustainability
 2,800,000 commuters covered

Nationwide 1400 Best Workplaces for
Commuters employers
 3 billion vehicle miles traveled reduced
in 2005
 Sep 2001 – Sep 2005




:
4,440 tons N0x avoided
3.19 Million Metric tons CO2 avoided
372.3 million gallons gasoline saved
$686 million in gasoline dollars saved
13
Colleges and Universities Designated as
Best Workplaces for Commuters (1 of 2)















Arizona State University
Baylor College of Medicine
Brigham Young University
Cal Poly State University - San
Luis Obispo
California State University,
Dominguez Hills
California State University,
Fullerton
California State University, Los
Angeles
California State University,
Northridge
California State University,
Sacramento
Clayton College and State
University
Colorado State University
Parking Services
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center
as of October 20, 2005

















Emory University
George Mason University
Harvard Medical School
Harvard University
Houston Graduate School of
Theology
Lewis & Clark College
Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy and
Health Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Naropa University
North Carolina State
University
Pennsylvania State University
San Jose State University
Simmons College
Southwestern Illinois College
Stanford University
Tacoma Community College
continued on next slide
14
Colleges and Universities Designated as
Best Workplaces for Commuters (2 of 2)















as of October 20, 2005
Tufts New England Medical
Center, Inc.
University of Arizona
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
Medical Center
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San
Francisco
University of California, Santa
Barbara
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Denver
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin
Cities
University of New Hampshire
University off North Carolina at
Chapel Hill


















University off North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
University of Pittsburgh
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas Health Science
Center
at Houston
University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Utah
University of Vermont
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Tech
Washington University
Washington University School of
Medicine
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Western Washington University
Yale University
15
Review
Providing parking is expensive
A comprehensive commuter benefit
program can save money by reducing
parking demand
Consider
Commuter benefits are a wise personnel
investment that can enhance employee
recruitment and retention.
16
Commute Impacts Employees
 36% of workers say they would be willing to
take a 10% pay cut or more for a shorter
commute
-
2001 Career Builder Survey, HR Magazine
 14% of Americans have changed jobs or left
a job primarily because of the commute
– 2005 ABC News Poll
 16% of Americans will change their commute
if gas prices continue to rise – 2005 Fuel Gauge Report
17
Tax Savings from transit subsidy
Salary Increase vs. Transit Subsidy Monthly Comparison
Employer Cost Comparison
Initial Cost
FICA Cost (7.65%)
Parking Space Operational Costs
Corporate Inc. Tax Savings (40%)
Net Employer Cost/ Month
Salary Increase Transit Subsidy
$50.00
$4.00
$50.00
-$40.00
$64.00
$50.00
$0.00
$0.00
-$20.00
$30.00
Employee Benefit Comparison
Initial Benefit
FICA Cost (7.65%)
Federal Income Tax (28 %)
State Income Tax (6 %)
Net Employee Benefit/ Month
Salary Increase Transit Subsidy
$50.00
-$4.00
-$14.00
-$3.00
$29.00
$50.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$50.00
18
“Free transit...helps in
recruiting and is a perk
that employees
appreciate.”
-Sherry Favre,
Human Resources
Southwestern
Illinois College
19
“I regularly receive emails from
commuter benefit participants telling
me that they have more personal
time while in public transit.
Commuter benefits...are an excellent
employee morale booster.”
- Doug Bowerman,
Employee Transportation Coordinator-2004
University of Texas Health Sciences Center
20
“We are the largest employer in
our community and want to be
a good neighbor. We recognize
our impact on road congestion
and air quality, so we offer transit
passes to mitigate our “footprint”
on the local community.”
-Renee Callaway,
TDM Program Manager
University
of Wisconsin-Madison
21
“The daily movement of people
back and forth to campus in
automobiles burning fossil fuels
is one of the largest impacts a
typical educational institution
imposes on the support systems
of the planet”
-Transportation & Sustainable
Campus Communities
Toor and Havlick, 2004
22
 Reduce congestion
 improve air quality
 support a sustainable community
Impact of commuter benefits on the local community
Potential Yearly Reduction*
University Number of Greenhouse Gasoline
Size
drive-alone
gases
savings
commuters (metric tons) (gallons)
Vehicle
miles
traveled
Small
5,000
2,636
266,000
5.4 million
Medium
15,000
7,909
798,000
16.2 million
Large
30,000
15,818
1,595,000
32.4 million
* Based on EPA Calculations
23
University of Michigan
Saved $17 million
in construction
costs by reducing
demand by 1,300
spaces
24
Emory University
Emory University found it cost
effective to subsidize transit passes
for employees rather than build a
1500 space parking garage at the
cost of $15 million.
25
Cornell University
Since 1991
 Cornell commuters have
traveled 10 million fewer miles
Annually saves
 417 thousand
gallons of
gasoline
26
27
COMMUTER Model
Model provides emissions output as
well as vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
saved and money saved on gasoline
from employer program.
Accessed from:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/transp/
conform/policy.htm#bwc-conform
28
The Case for
Commuter Benefits
Saves you money by
reducing parking demand
Enhances recruitment and
retention
Demonstrates environmental
leadership
29
Best Workplaces for
Commuters
Guaranteed spot on National Best
Workplaces for CommutersSM list.
Positive press coverage
Exclusive rights to use
logo/designation
Networking opportunities
Technical assistance
30
Assess where your campus is
on the commuter benefits
continuum
Very few
commuter benefits
Comprehensive
commuter benefits
31
Considerations in achieving a Best Workpalcse for
Commuters designation
 Organization of Departments on your campus
 Who are key decision makers regarding
parking/transportation commuter benefits?
 How can you best reach them with this message?
 Are there local transportation professionals that can
help? Is there a Transportation Management
Organization in your area?
 Alliance with local government for Emergency Ride
Home?
32
33
Resources available to you at
bwc.gov
Online registration
Commuter Benefit
Briefs
Emergency Ride Home Toolkit
COMMUTER Model
Program Overview Presentation
34
Online Registration is fast
and Easy
www.bwc.gov
 Call our toll-free information
request line at 888-856-3131
[email protected]
35
Questions
and
Discussion