CORPORATE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT PROGRAMS

Many St. Louis companies are providing their employees a little extra support in their commute to work through transportation benefit programs. Increasing employee benefits while saving money and reducing employee stress are just a few of the incentives for companies in St. Louis that have successfully incorporated transportation benefits into their corporate cultures.

The transportation benefit programs range from having an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC), a contact on-site, to full transit subsidy programs. Following are just a few of the many profiles of St. Louis companies that have taken significant strides to give their employees a ‘lift’ while helping to clear St. Louis’ air.

A.G. Edwards gives transit and vanpooling a boost with their transportation benefit program.With more than 4,400 employees at their One North Jefferson site, A.G. Edwards has developed a transportation benefit program that promotes transit, vanpooling and bicycling.

A.G. Edwards is a transit pass vendor selling more than 225 transit passes a month on site. As a part of the program, the company offers a $20 transit and vanpool subsidy to its employees. Thus employees can purchase a monthly transit pass at A.G. Edwards for $20 instead of $45 a month which fits into the Commuter Choice Initiative. A.G. Edwards also offers a carpool/vanpool matching program with a $20 subsidy for vanpoolers. This $20 subsidy is about half the cost for a transit pass and about one third of the cost to vanpool for one month depending on the number in the vanpool.

Bicycling is touted as a viable commute option at A.G. Edwards. The company provides bicycle facilities for its employees as well as locker rooms and showers; making bicycling a possibility for the work commute. In addition, the company distributes educational information and holds promotional events for the transportation benefit program.

A.G. Edwards offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to its employees.

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs offers several different services as a part of its transit benefit program including fully subsidized transit passes to one-third of its workforce. Also the Department offers the Guaranteed Ride Home program for transit commuters and bicyclists.

Tax free transit passes and pre-tax transit benefits are available to employees. Rideshare matching and preferred parking for carpoolers/vanpools are other benefits in the commuter package. Information on alternatives to driving alone and air quality information is available to employees at transit fairs and through email.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs also takes part in promotional events surrounding transit in St. Louis such as 'Team Up to Try Transit'.

The Wainwright State Office Building’s Transportation Benefit Program has been such a success that it received the national Way To Go! Award presented by the Environmental Protection Agency in September 1999.

As a part of the transportation program, the Wainwright State Office Building offers a transit subsidy of $30 (75 percent of the cost of a monthly transit pass) to 120 employees in the building. This is 16 percent of the workforce in the building and the limit for the number who can participate under the budgeted amount.

Each employee who chooses a monthly transit pass for $10 then turns in their parking space. The Wainwright State Office Building leases parking spaces in Downtown St. Louis at an average cost of $64 per space for its employees. By providing a transit subsidy of $30 instead of $64, the Wainwright Building saves $34 per employee per month.

The Wainwright Building also holds promotional events throughout the year as well as distributes educational materials to employees in the building promoting alternatives to driving alone as well as clean air issues. Currently more than 50 employees are registered transit users.

The Wainwright Building offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to its employees.

Washington University offers several different services through its transit benefit program including: the Guaranteed Ride Home program for transit commuters, bicyclists, carpoolers and vanpoolers; tax free transit passes ; a partial subsidy for transit passes; secure bicycle parking; and onsite amenities .

Washington University also provides shuttle service and is an on-site transit pass vendor. Information on alternatives to driving alone and air quality information is available to employees through email, bulletin board announcements, and information in the Transportation Offices.

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, a law firm located at 10 S. Broadway, has 170 employees.

The company has an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) on site who distributes educational information to the employees. Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale is a transit pass vendor and provides its employees a full transit subsidy ($40 a month).

The company also offers a carpool/vanpool matching program. Employees have been pleased with the convenience of being able to receive their transit passes on site.

Greensfelder charges its employees for parking as well which is an added incentive to find an alternative to driving alone to work.

Greensfelder offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to its employee.

HOK, Inc., a world-wide architectural firm headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, recently started a transit pass vendor program. Employees at HOK can now purchase $45 monthly passes and 10-ticket Bi-State booklets on a pre-tax basis at their worksite. The cost of the transit passes or booklets are directly deducted from payroll before taxes. This saves the employee and the employer on payroll taxes. Any employee interested at HOK can contact Michele Schellhardt at 421.2000. This type of program saves both employees and employers time and money.

HOK also distributes educational information to employees as well as takes part in promotional events such as the "Team Up" program.

HOK also offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to its employees.

The Regional Commerce and Growth Association has 55 employees.

The company distributes educational information and is a member of the St. Louis Clean Air Partnership.

The company is a transit pass vendor and provides its employees a full subsidy ($50 a month) which can be used either for a transit pass or a parking space. Those employees who choose the transit pass have an incentive, since a transit pass only costs $45, employees can pocket the extra $5.

The Firstar headquarters located at 6th & Washington in Downtown St. Louis is surrounded by transit options with the 6th & Covention MetroLink Station and bus stops on almost every corner. They offer pre-tax payroll deductions for transit fares and vanpooling.

With more than 2,000 employees at the worksite, Firstar encourages alternatives to driving alone to work especially public transportation.

More than 250 employees are registered transit commuters at Firstar. The company provides no parking for its employees, but bicycle racks are provided in one of the parking garages. Firstar also promotes carpooling onsite.

Firstar offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to its employees.

Stifel, Nicolaus and Company has an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) who distributes educational information and holds promotional events.

Stifel, Nicolaus is a transit pass vendor and allows employees to use payroll deductions to cover the cost of the transit passes. This saves Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. and the employees on payroll taxes by using a pretax deduction as a benefit.

No parking is provided to the employees. Stifel, Nicolaus offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to its employees.

NIMA currently offers the Guaranteed Ride Home Program for transit users, bicyclists and carpoolers.

NIMA also offers a full subsidy towards transit passes.

They offer tax-free vanpool benefits onsite to their employees. Also, the commuter benefit program includes carpool matching, pre-tax transit and vanpool benefits, parking at park-ride lots, preferred parking programs, secure bicycle parking, compressed work schedules and on-site amenities. They also promote their program on their website.