Close-By
If your employment site is close to transit, you may already have many employees utilizing this convenient and low-stress commute option. Buses, trains, subways and trolleys all move over 400,000 people a day in the Delaware Valley. If you'd like to encourage greater use of the option, please see Employee Incentives.
Even if your worksite is convenient to SEPTA or other transit services, your employees may not be aware of when or where the bus or train operates, or how to use the service. This is not an uncommon problem, and one that is easily remedied. First, employers should be familiar with the services available to them and the schedules of those services; then, they must pass that information on to employees.
Your MAP contact and the transportation provider can work with you and your employees in overcoming these obstacles. Information fairs and trial rides can be arranged to orient your employees to transit. In some cases, transit schedules can be adjusted to better meet the work hours of your employees.
Not Quite Close Enough
If your company is just outside reasonable walking distance from a transit stop, or if walking from a stop involves crossing heavy traffic or using inadequate sidewalks, you may want to consider a shuttle service to move employees from nearby stops to your worksite. This can be arranged with informal, in-house car- or vanpools. Depending on the number of employees, or other interested employers in the same area, shuttles can be arranged through an independent shuttle service. (See Supplemental Programs).
Also, your company — or a group of companies — may want to contact the appropriate transit provider about extending or altering existing routes to accommodate this extra travel. Their planners will evaluate the effectiveness of an extension and, if approved, will work with you to implement a change. Participating companies may have to allocate funds for the service at the outset, but once it's in place, and if it's utilized as expected, the service may end up paying for itself. See your MAP contact for more direction on this option.