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Latest News
Commuting Options Expand for Employees at “Iron Mountain” in Boyers, Butler County
Until recently, the employees at “Iron Mountain” in Boyers (Butler County) have had no other choice than to drive alone or with co-workers to work. But by working together, the employees, local transit authorities and now CommuteInfo have changed all of that.
“Iron Mountain” is an underground, secure facility which houses several employers. Over 3,000 people travel there to work everyday.
Working with local transit operators, 2 bus routes were started. New Castle Area Transit Authority provides service from New Castle to Boyers twice a day. Butler Transit Authority also provides service from Butler to Boyers twice a day. The ridership on both of these routes has been steadily increasing since they were first introduced.
 And for those individuals not able to take advantage of the new transit service, CommuteInfo was asked to help provide carpool and vanpool options. In January the first vanpool group took the “keys” to their new ride to work (see photo, left). Their commute begins each day in Fennelton. On February 1st a second vanpool group got on the road, starting their commute from Meadville. And on February 19th, a third vanpool group began, transporting employees from Coraopolis.
CommuteInfo staff and the local transit operators will continue to work with the employees at “Iron Mountain” to help them find a better way to work!
CommuteInfo Provides Twelve Actions Employers Can Take To Address Rising Gasoline Prices for Employees
With gasoline prices reaching record highs, CommuteInfo is passing along 12 actions from the Association of Commuter Transportation, that employers can take to help their employees reduce their gasoline consumption.
- Offer commute benefits. Tax law allows employers to provide commuters with a tax free benefit up to $115 per month for public transportation or vanpooling. Such benefits are best provided on an ongoing basis, however, even offering them on a short-term, emergency basis during gasoline price spikes is helpful. Learn more on the CommuteInfo website: http://www.commuteinfo.org/emp_why_choice.shtml
- Keep current transit schedules on hand and posted on employee bulletin board(s). During gas price spikes, employees need to determine in advance what transit routes can take them between home and work to help them save gas.
- Allow employees flexibility in selecting their own start/end times during periods of gasoline price spikes. Doing so increases an employee’s chance of finding a ridesharing partner, riding transit, and avoiding peak congestion.
- If direct transit service to the company’s worksite is unavailable, establish a shuttle service between transit stations and the worksite. If the company has fleet vehicles, they can be used as shuttles.
- Designate parking spaces in close proximity to building entrances for employees who carpool or vanpool to the worksite.
- Offer bike storage, clothing lockers, and shower facilities for employees who opt to walk or bicycle to work. Arrange a meeting to discuss these options.
- Provide on-site amenities such as dry cleaning pick-up/drop-off, concierge services, and other convenience that would eliminate the need for employees to drive away from the worksite during the course of the business day.
- If the company has fleet vehicles, allow employees who got to work without driving to use them in the event of offsite business meetings, in an unexpected personal emergency or unscheduled overtime. Augment company fleet vehicles by working with local carsharing programs (like Zipcar) or car rental companies.
- Collaborate with CommuteInfo to conduct an employee commute survey to determine what commute alternatives would interest employees the most, and to enable employees to receive a Commuter Matchlist containing the names of co-workers and employees from other neighboring companies with whom they could carpool or vanpool.
- Designate a key company representative as the primary contact for employees to go to for information on commute options.
- Identify employees who have tasks that can be accomplished while working at home, or at an alternative company location closer to the employee’s home.
- Encourage employees to live near where they work.
CommuteInfo is part of a nationwide effort, through the Association of Commuter Transportation (ACT), to invite employers to encourage their employees to change their daily travel behavior. Instead of driving alone to work, employees can carpool, vanpool, take public transportation, bicycle, walk or telecommute to conserve fuel and save money.
After housing, transportation is the second largest household expenditure, exceeding medical care, food and recreation expenses. Depending on an employee’s income, those expenditures can range from 10 percent to nearly a third of the household’s budget. Commuters can save money by choosing a mode of transportation that doesn’t involve driving alone.
Contact the CommuteInfo staff today to learn more about how they can help you inform your employees with commuting alternatives.
Transportation 101
What is Transportation 101? Transportation 101 is a training session for regional human service agency staff as well as local employers who are interested in learning more about the transportation options available within a particular area. The sessions are modeled after others held throughout the United States. Since 2005, sessions have been held in Beaver, Westmoreland and Indiana counties.
The sessions are customized for each audience. Each session includes an overview of all the commuting options (transit, vanpool, carpool, biking and walking). The local transit operator(s) review their services and when possible, the participants take a ride on one of the transit vehicles. If there are other transportation organizations within the particular area, they are also invited to present an overview of their services.
Most of the sessions are scheduled for 3 – 4 hours. The next Transportation 101 session is scheduled in Westmoreland County on March 31st.
If you are interested in attending this session or scheduling one for your location, please contact the CommuteInfo staff today.
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Commuting Options: Information & Resources
 Beaver County Transit Authority’s Fixed Route Surges toward 6th Consecutive Year of Record Ridership
BCTA has seen a 9.98% increase in Fixed Route ridership in the first 6 months of fiscal year 07-08 in comparison to the first 6 months of fiscal year 06-07. This exceptional rate of ridership increase continues to build on BCTA’s increase of 42% reported from fiscal year 02-03 (469,560 passengers) through fiscal year 06-07 (671,880 passengers). In 2006, BCTA was awarded APTA’s “Outstanding Public Transportation System” Award in the category of providing fewer than 1 million annual passenger trips.
 Port Authority reminds you to plan ahead when deciding to leave your vehicle at home and search for the nearest bus stop.
For those commuting into Downtown Pittsburgh on a daily basis, big snowstorms can cause serious travel concerns. Read tips from Port Authority about things to consider when choosing transit as your way to work during inclement weather. Read more by clicking here.
Vanpool Customer Satisfaction Survey Results
A CommuteInfo vanpool customer satisfaction survey was conducted in October 2007. Here is a brief summary of the survey results:
- All respondents indicated they were likely to continue vanpooling and would refer a friend or business associate
- 96% were satisfied their vanpool experience
- 94% were satisfied with the handling of routine (preventive) maintenance and repairs, and vehicle reliability
- 92% liked the appearance of the vehicle
The CommuteInfo program would like to thank all the participants in the vanpool program for their continued involvement. Contact us to learn more about the vanpool survey.
Vanpool Groups Looking for Riders
Several vanpool groups have seats available. You can view the entire list of vanpool groups by clicking here. These are the groups with the highest number of seats available:
Origin: Weirton, WV (V104)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 6:45 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:10 p.m.
Origin: Irwin (V122)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 6:45 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:15 p.m.
Origin: Mt. Pleasant (V126)
Destination: Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 6:20 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:10 p.m.
Origin: Latrobe (V133)
Destination: Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 7:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 4:15 p.m.
Origin: Meadville (V501)
Destination: Boyers
Time Leaving for Work: 6:50 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 4:30 p.m.
To obtain a complete list of vanpool groups that match your particular commute, fill out a commuter profile today by clicking here or by calling 1-888-819-6110. If vanpooling works for you, you can join on either a full-time or part-time basis. Learn more about the vanpool program on the CommuteInfo website.
Carpool Groups Looking for Riders
Several registered carpool groups have seats available…this is just a sample, for a complete listing of carpools looking for riders, please click here:
Origin: West Mifflin (C051)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 7:30 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 4:30 p.m.
Origin: Belle Vernon (COAK3)
Destination: Oakland
Time Leaving for Work: 8:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 4:30 p.m.
Origin: Cranberry (CD018)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 7:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 4:30 p.m.
Origin: East Liverpool (CP014)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Leaving for Work: 7:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:00 p.m.
Origin: Monessen (C905)
Destination: Oakland
Time Leaving for Work: 7:15 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:00 p.m.
Learn about the benefits of registering your carpool with CommuteInfo or contact us to find out what specific options are available for you.
Bike Pittsburgh reaches out to local employers to promote the benefits of bicycling to work
Bike Pittsburgh recently announced its new Partnership Program to assist area employers in becoming a bike-friendly workplace. The Partnership Program is uniquely crafted to match the specific needs and objectives of the prospective partner. Read more about this initiative by clicking here. If you feel that your employer could benefit from supporting a bike-friendly culture at work, the Bike Pittsburgh Partnership is a robust addition to any human resources benefits package. Armed with Pittsburgh Bike Maps and resources like CommuteInfo’s “Bike Pool”, Bike Pittsburgh reaches out to the Pittsburgh workforce to demonstrate how bicycling to work can be safe and fun. Contact Bike Pittsburgh for more information or to request a Pittsburgh Bike Map.
You can also read more about bicycling as a commuting option, by visiting the biking page on the CommuteInfo website: http://www.commuteinfo.org/comm_options_bike.shtml
To learn more about walking, teleworking, flextime or compressed work weeks, visit the “Other Options” page on the CommuteInfo website: http://www.commuteinfo.org/comm_options_other.shtml
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We are always looking for community events or speaking opportunities where CommuteInfo can be represented – please email us with your ideas!
With approximately 60% of the Southwestern Pennsylvania region's 1.5 million workers traveling outside of their resident municipality to work each day, commuting options are clearly an integral part of life for the region’s employers and workers.
CommuteInfo is a program of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), operated in partnership with transportation management associations, transportation providers, businesses and non-profit service organizations throughout Southwestern PA.
Through the strong network of partnerships, the CommuteInfo program offers a wide range of ride-sharing services to employers and commuters within the region, including a toll free phone number for information requests and referrals, vanpool/carpool rider matching, transit/biking/walking resources as well as park and ride lot information. CommuteInfo serves commuters and employers in 10 counties, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland.
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Thanks again for your interest in commuting alternatives and CommuteInfo . . . a better way to work. |
