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Latest News
 May is CommuteInfo Commute Options Awareness Month – 10 Ways to Celebrate!
It is that time of year again – May is CommuteInfo’s special month. Below are 10 ways to help celebrate CommuteInfo Commute Options Awareness Month:
- Tell your employees about CommuteInfo and encourage them to sign up to get their free list of ridesharing options. The profile can be completed on-line or over the phone at 1-888-819-6110.
- Sponsor a lunch-n-learn to help employees learn more about their options.
- Add the CommuteInfo website to your company’s intranet.
- Include CommuteInfo as a resource in your new hire packets.
- Provide employees with information about CommuteInfo and transportation options at your annual benefits meetings.
- Sponsor a transportation information table to help employees learn more about their options.
- Include an article in your next company newsletter about CommuteInfo. Sample articles can be downloaded from the CommuteInfo website.
- Provide an incentive for employees to share a ride.
- Work with the CommuteInfo staff to create a map to show where your current employees travel from to determine whether there might be some “clusters” of employees who could share a ride.
- Share information about CommuteInfo with other companies, organizations or associations.
CommuteInfo Staff To Expand
The CommuteInfo program is adding a new staff person to help with program outreach. If you or someone you know would be interested in applying for this position, please have them check out the job description and application instructions in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s website. http://www.spcregion.org/emp.shtml
 Public Awareness Telephone Poll
Over the past 2 months, the CommuteInfo program conducted a study among residents of the 10-county Southwestern Pennsylvania region to benchmark their awareness of the CommuteInfo brand as well as ridesharing alternatives available to them.
Some key findings included:
- Over 82% of respondents reported that “driving alone” was their primary way to travel to work or school.
- That those respondents who drive alone to work or school spend more money on their commute than those who shared a ride.
- That many of the respondents do not share a ride to work or school because they do not know anyone else who shares their commute. If you or someone you know needs this kind of information, it is available free of charge, by requesting a personalized ridematch report on the CommuteInfo website.
It is anticipated that with future surveys, comparisons will be able to be drawn to the information collected through this effort. That information will continued to be shared in future e-newsletters.
ZipCar
Do your need a sustainable, cost effective and convenient transportation option for your regional or national business travel needs? Zipcar has been assisting companies nationwide with a transportation solution that immediately reduces the environmental impact, time and expense associated with business travel.
Through our proprietary technology and carsharing program, Zipcar enables employees to easily reserve Zipcars online and access a wide range of vehicles within walking distance of your office. To use Zipcars, employees simply reserve the vehicle online, walk to the vehicle location, swipe their Zipcard over the card reader and drive away. The reservation includes the cost of gas, parking, insurance and mileage.
Besides the convenience of Zipcar for employees, our real time online billing and quarterly analytical report provides employers a detailed accounting of vehicle usage and the carbon emission and cash savings they have realized had employees used rental or personal vehicles for their business travel.
The combination of sustainability, convenience, cost savings and billing management makes Zipcar a vital resource for those companies who seek a more efficient option for their travel needs.
For a more detailed overview of Zipcar or to further discuss how Zipcar can be a resource to your organization, contact General Manager Jenna Cox at 412.475.5897 or jcox@zipcar.com.
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Commuting Options: Information & Resources
Buses Rerouted from Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh
A meeting on April 3rd between the City of Pittsburgh Public Works Department, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Urban Redevelopment Authority resulted in their support the for rerouting of buses from Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh beginning today. Read more here.
CommuteInfo Staff Receive Tour of Vanpool Conversion Company
Ever wonder how the CommuteInfo vanpool vehicles started from a stock factory vehicle to a vanpool vehicle with all the commuter comforts?
The CommuteInfo vanpool vehicle vendor, VPSI, provided CommuteInfo staff a tour of the vehicle conversion company on April 15th. Staff were able to literally walk through the process from when a new van is delivered to when it is shipped for delivery. The process to convert a factory vehicle into a commuter vanpool was explained, including the designs to promote safety and commuter comfort.
In addition to seeing this process, Meg and Lisa Kay were able to learn about new vehicle features (including new headrests and seatbelts in the seats rather than attached to the ceiling). Another new feature (seen below) is the addition of a handle to assist riders when entering the van from the side doors.
A sea of white vehicles awaiting customization
The vehicles beginning the conversion process
The vehicle with the upgraded version of seats installed – complete with a new handle to help vanpoolers enter the vehicle from the side door
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 Arriving at Work: 7:40 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:10 p.m.
Origin: Irwin (V122)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Arriving at Work: 7:40 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:15 p.m.
Origin: Mt. Pleasant (V126)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Arriving at Work: 7:40 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:10 p.m.
Origin: Meadville (V501)
Destination: Boyers
Time Arriving at Work: 7:45 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 4:30 p.m.
Origin: McKeesport (V206)
Destination: Oakland
Time Arriving at Work: 8:10 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:05 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: Munhall (C346)
Destination: Oakland
Time Arriving at Work: 8:30 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:00 p.m.
Origin: Vandergrift (CD002)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Arriving at Work: 7:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 3:00 p.m.
Origin: New Kensington (CL0001)
Destination: New Kensington
Time Arriving at Work: 8:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:00 p.m.
Origin: Aliquippa (C813)
Destination: Oakland
Time Arriving at Work: 8:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 5:00 p.m.
Origin: Jeannette (C1193)
Destination: Downtown Pittsburgh
Time Arriving at Work: 9:00 a.m.
Time Leaving for Home: 6:00 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 Commuters … Looking for Someone to Share Your Biking Commute
Considering riding your bike to work or school? CommuteInfo can help you find a bikepool buddy. The process works the same way as finding someone to carpool with --- just complete the commuter profile on-line or over the phone by calling 1-888-819-6110 and we will send you a matchlist with other people interested in biking to work.
To learn more about walking, teleworking, flextime or compressed work weeks, visit the “Other Options” page on the CommuteInfo website.
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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, finding a better way to work is clearly an integral part of life for the region’s employers and workers.
CommuteInfo is a program of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), coordinated in partnership with transportation management associations, transportation providers, businesses and non-profit service organizations throughout Southwestern PA.
The CommuteInfo program is dedicated to increasing the number of commuters in Southwestern PA sharing a ride to work. The CommuteInfo program is designed to serve as an information clearinghouse for commuters and employers. The goal is for commuters living, working or attending school within the 10-county SPC region to choose ridesharing at least twice a week by providing them with viable options, incentives and encouragement. This is accomplished by working directly with commuters, job seekers and employers.
Check out previous e-newsletter editions by clicking here
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Thanks again for your interest in commuting alternatives and CommuteInfo . . . a better way to work. |
