Most of the MAP commute options are appropriate for Assisting Commuters After COVID (ACAC), too. See below for information on Telework and for a link to the list of ACAC contacts for the organization covering the region for your worksite.
Want a Commute that's easier, less stressful, and less expensive?
MAP stands for Mobility Alternatives Program, and it can help companies improve their benefits package while saving employees time and money on their commute. MAP also helps reduce traffic and air pollution in our region.
About the Mobility Alternatives Program
Brochure
[0.3 MB pdf]
MAP can help everyone find a better way to get to work. Whether it's on transit, in a car pool or van pool, or even working from home, MAP has information on what the various alternatives are and how companies and individuals can take advantage of them.
And there's Share-A-Ride, too: a free, comprehensive, computerized commute match service that can put employees in touch with the most convenient transit options or with other commuters going their way.
The best part is, because they’re funded by PennDOT and NJDOT, MAP and ACAC services are free to both employers and employees!
To find out more about MAP, contact DVRPC's Office of Commuter Benefits, or contact the TMA that services the area where your worksite is located.
Any commuter who works in southeastern Pennsylvania can Sign Up for Share-A-Ride.
Mobility Alternatives: EMPLOYERS
Using Transit
If you'd like to encourage greater use of transit by your employees, we can work with you and your staff, and even involve SEPTA, PATCO and/or NJTransit, to make everyone more aware of the services in your area and how to overcome obstacles to transit use.
For information on the precautions our transit agencies are taking to make your ride clean and safe during COVID, please visit these pages:
Share-A-Ride
The Share-A-Ride program is a free, computerized ridematch service that gives commuters working in southeastern Pennsylvania information on convenient transit services, setting up car and vanpool groups, even walking and bicycling opportunities. Even employers can get on board by locating matches for their employees!
Emergency Ride Home
An Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program, sometimes called Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH), provides a “safety” net for commuters who share their ride (carpool, vanpool, transit) or bike to work on a regular basis, should they need to get to a person or place in the case of a true emergency.
Park-n-Ride
Park and Ride lots are areas specifically dedicated for use by commuters to park vehicles while using public transit or participating in carpools or vanpools. See interactive map of official Park-n-Ride lots in southeastern PA, southern NJ and northern DE.
Alternate Work Schedules
Flextime allows employees to alter their arrival and departure times slightly to accommodate various commute schedules. Compressed Work Weeks allow certain employees to condense the hours they work into fewer days, increasing the length of each work day, and thus decreasing the number of days spent at the work site, and commuting to and from home.
Telework
Telework, or telecommuting, allows employees to work remotely or from home under special arrangements with their employer. Employers can learn how to set up formal telework policies and programs. A webinar with some “telework basics” can be found here.
Employee Incentives
There are many types of incentives to consider, and each has a different cost, depending on how it is executed and who participates. Tax-free transit benefits, employee discounts at local retailers and restaurants, and preferential parking are some examples that are covered
Parking Management
Parking Management encourages employees to use shared commute methods by making single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel less convenient and/or more expensive. These programs can also be beneficial to employers by eliminating the need for additional parking lot construction and reducing maintenance costs
Find Your MAP and ACAC Contacts
There are a number of partner organizations that can help you find the information and programs you need, such as the Transportation Management Association (TMA) in your area.
Supplemental Programs
There are several other options that can make shared commutes more attractive to employees, including providing bicycle and walking facilities, shuttle services, and accommodating childcare schedules.