In Search of a City: Reliable Employees Ride Transit
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Recent snow storms showed that employees who commute by bus can be more reliable than employees who drive. Last Tuesday, I had to advise my own staff about whether to come to work on Wednesday in a level 2 snow emergency. Because driving is discouraged during a level 2 emergency, I notified employees who drive to work that they could stay home on Wednesday. Employees who take transit had no such excuse. I required them to come to the office.
The experience got me thinking more about the logic of company policies toward parking and transit. Employee parking benefits are common, but transit benefits are not. Some companies pay $85 to $160 per month for an employee to park at commercial garages or lots. Others build and maintain their own parking facilities and offer “free” parking to employees.
Both options are expensive and create an artificial demand for parking, unless companies also offer transit benefits. Parking benefits can drive up the cost of doing business downtown because bus passes are generally less expensive than parking. Given a choice, many employees will choose to take transit if free passes are offered as an alternative to free parking.