Greetings employers, 
 
We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to start this newsletter off by thanking you for your continued engagement in our programing during these challenging times. We have had to adapt how and where we work and with those changes, our employer partners have shown great resilience. We want to take some time to ask you and your team a question dear to us: How can we help you?

Our team has navigated through the pandemic by feeding essential workers, provided Safe Commute care-packages for essential worksites and small businesses. We have held roundtables and had telework experts provide recommendations and best practices for employers. We drafted a strategic plan and we’re thinking holistically at ways for our programs to be more equitable. Our next call to action is to gain more insight from you, our employers.

We want to ask you; How can we help you and your team? If you have 5 minutes to let us know how the Employer team can help your worksite and your employees with their non-drive alone commutes, please link to the survey here and let us know. We will be sending all survey participants a gift for your time and feedback. 
Stay safe and be well, 
Virada & Rebecca
virada@commute.org
rebecca@commute.org
Is your worksite in compliance?
Bay Area employers with 50 or more full-time employees are required to register and offer commuter benefits to their employees in order to comply with Air District Regulation 14, Rule 1, also known as the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program.

The partners of this program have published a helpful Employer Resource Guide to explain benefit requirements.

Employers must select one of four Commuter Benefit options to offer to their employees. While Commute.org is not the direct administrator of this program, we are happy to help, and are ready to assist in advising and analysis of current employer benefit offerings and recommending options for Bay Area Commuter Benefits compliance. To comply with the program requirements, an employer must:

  • Register at commuterbenefits.511.org and update registration annually.
  • Designate a Commuter Benefits Coordinator or Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program representative.
  • Select a pre-approved commuter benefits option or propose an alternative.
  • Notify employees of the commuter benefits and how they can use the benefits. The employer must maintain records to document how and when employees were notified about the commuter benefits.
Safe Commute Guide
Biking & Walking
• Plan your route in advance with Commute.org's STAR platform
• Practice social distancing on paths and trails
•  Avoid touching public surfaces
•  Be prepared - bring appropriate weather gear and sanitizing products
• Wear a face mask in case you unexpectedly need to take transit or another shared commute mode
• Consider using a backpack or waterproof on-bike pack to carry your things more easily
• Communicate regularly with your team
• Keep a routine and establish regular work hours to maintain a work/home balance
•  Stay active - stand up, stretch, or go for a walk throughout the day
•  Stay adaptable - be kind to yourself and others during times of change
• Check in with your employer about getting proper equipment (monitors, chairs, etc.) to make your work-from-home environment more sustainable long-term
• Reduce the size of your carpool to 1 driver and 1 rider to leave more space between seats
• Maintain appropriate physical distancing when entering and exiting the vehicle
•  Avoid touching surfaces as much as possible
•  All "poolers" should wear a mask while commuting
•  Keep the windows open and turn off the air recirculation to improve ventilation
• Try to ride with the same people each day and avoid introducing new riders
• Create digital message boards to coordinate carpooling and vanpooling with coworkers 
Public Transit
• Pay attention to signage the agency has posted
•  Maintain physical distancing on-board and while waiting to enter/exit
• Try to skip a row between yourself and others
• Use or obtain a Clipper Card for touchless payment
•  Be flexible - you may need to take a later bus or train to comply with social distancing
• Take transit outside of peak hours, if possible
Micromobility
• Plan your route in advance on STAR
•  Wear a face mask to protect yourself and others in passing
• Use hand sanitizer or wipes to disinfect the scooter or bike prior to use, then disinfect it when you're done
• Avoid touching surfaces - use touchless payment options if available
Click here for a downloadable version of our Guide to Ensure a Safe Commute!
Help out Caltrain and SamTrans
Survey says! Do you like surveys as much as we do? Do you or your employees ride a shuttle to commute to and from work? If so please consider sending feedback for Caltrain and SamTrans by taking a survey below:
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Working Together to Improve Our San Mateo County Commute
Please share with your staff and let us know how we can help! Thanks for your support.