Companies throughout the region are helping employees beat rush-hour traffic by using transportation benefits programs that improve employee morale and the bottom line.

Through its RideLink program, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the region's resource for both employers and commuters who wish to learn more about alternatives to driving to work alone. SANDAG helps companies establish employee commute programs to offer such benefits as vanpool subsidies, prepaid transit passes, special parking for carpools, bike lockers and more.

SANDAG offers carpool partner matching and telework consulting for companies who allow employees to work from home. Employee surveys issued by SANDAG help companies determine what benefits their employees would value most.

SANDAG provides information on transportation tax benefits. Employers can provide cash subsidies to employees who commute to work by transit or vanpools and receive deductions on business income taxes.

A number of companies in San Diego have taken advantage of SANDAG's services. SAIC provides a company-sponsored shuttle transportation subsidy program. USAOpoly offers a hybrid vehicle purchase program. The Salk Institute promotes use of pretax dollars to pay for transit and vanpool costs, saving the employees and the company money on taxes. The Zoological Society of San Diego fully subsidizes vanpools for employees. Hewlett Packard and Cox Communications have telework programs.

Providing more transportation choices and reducing travel during rush hours are the foundations of MOBILITY 2030, SANDAG's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) which serves as a blueprint for regional transportation planning through the year 2030.

"Every time a commuter opts to leave the car at home, the region benefits," said Gary Gallegos, SANDAG executive director. "Each new teleworker, carpooler, transit rider and bicyclist takes one more vehicle off the road -- easing rush hour traffic. If everyone did something other than drive alone to work just one day a week, we could reduce rush hour traffic significantly," he added.

Now is a great time to start an employee commute program. Rideshare Week from Oct. 6 to 10 will include a number of events across the region which promote alternatives to solo commuting. This campaign allows commuters to demonstrate their support of better traffic solutions by trying commute alternatives.

Commuters can register for Rideshare Week at www.KeepSanDiegoMoving.com. Commuters who register between Sept. 22 and Oct. 10 are eligible to win prizes, and they will receive a list of potential carpool partners and a coupon for free goodies from event sponsors. The weeklong celebration is sponsored in part by Baja Fresh, Coach USA, Cold Stone Creamery, Enterprise Rideshare, Friendship Transportation, KCBQ, Hawaiian Airlines, NBC 7/39, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, The Daily Transcript, SignOnSanDiego, USAOpoly, VitaminWater, VPSI, Yellow Cab, Caltrans and SANDAG.

Visit KeepSanDiegoMoving.com or call 1-800-COMMUTE to find out more about commute alternatives in the San Diego region. For information on starting a commute benefit program in your company, contact SANDAG account executive Lynn Lewenberg-Jones at (619) 595-5643 or lle@sandag.org.

Submitted by SANDAG.