Green Employee Commuting

Making the workplace conducive for walkers and bikers can reduce emissions, decrease traffic and help employees with their fitness goals. Here are a few ways to encourage biking/walking:

• Install bike racks at your facilities that are secure and undercover, if possible. This is a simple and low-cost way to make it easier for employees to bike to work.
• If you don’t know if bike racks are available at all of your sites, including leased spaces, conduct a survey of your facilities to see where bike racks are and where they need to be added. Then you can fill in the gaps.
• Incorporate locker room facilities in your plans for new or renovated office facilities. This will make it easy for employees to change and shower before work and after their bike or walk to work.
• Be sure to announce the availability of bike racks and facilities with staff so that they know what is available and can plan accordingly.

Using public transit lowers vehicle emissions, decreases traffic, and allows employees to be more productive during their commute, instead of driving.

NYS-Ride

NYS-Ride is a negotiated benefit program sponsored by the Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER) and administered by WageWorks, Inc., which provides New York State employees with the opportunity to pay for certain work-related transportation expenses on a pre-tax basis. NYS-Ride allows you to save money on your eligible transportation costs. You pay for these expenses through pre-tax payroll deductions and save money each month.

WageWorks purchases public transportation fare media (such as bus, subway and vanpool passes, and fare cards) from transit authorities and will mail your selected fare media directly to your home address. Or use your WageWorks Commuter Card. Check with your Human Resources Department for the current Pre-Tax Transit Limit.

You can promote this program by launching an educational campaign in your office to ensure that employees know about this important benefit. This can include all staff emails and putting posters in communal areas. For more information and resources on promoting NYS-Ride, including postcards, flyers, and talking points, reach out to the program administrator at: [email protected].

Carpooling is a simple and effective way to lower emissions from employee commutes. Promoting carpooling can be as simple as sending out an email to staff encouraging this option along with resources to help them find a ride or offering preferred parking spots for employees who carpool on a regular basis.

• The 511 Rideshare website can help employees to find a ride in their community: https://511nyrideshare.org/
• For employees who work in downtown Albany, the Office of General Services Parking Management offers carpooling options: https://parking.ogs.ny.gov

New York State is leading by example with its commitment to increase the amount of electric vehicles on our roads and ensuring the availability of workplace electric vehicle charging for all interested employees by 2020.  As part of this initiative, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of General Services are launching a pilot program in Downtown Albany to learn more about employee charging habits to inform a successful statewide rollout.

With proper workplace charging implementation, employers can help increase the convenience and affordability of driving electric for their employees. Workplace charging is an option that can help employers attract and retain a cutting-edge workforce and demonstrate leadership in adopting advanced technologies.

To learn more about offering employee charging at your facilities please reach out to Brendan Woodruff (518-402-9159 or [email protected]), review best practices and other NYSERDA guidance as well as additional information on the US Department of Energy’s website.