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Seven Commuter-Friendly Companies
These companies are going the extra mileto help out employees hit hard by rising gasoline prices.
By Patrick J. Kiger
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Bank of America: The Charlotte,
North Carolina-based financial institution, which has 200,000 employees
worldwide, offers a $3,000 stipend to employees who purchase
gas-electric hybrid vehicles. Since the program went nationwide in
February 2007, Bank of America has shelled out nearly $6 million to help
its workers cut their gasoline expenses and reduce their carbon output. |
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Principal Financial: The Des
Moines, Iowa-based financial services firm underwrites a deal with the
local public transit authority that allows its 8,000 employees to ride
local buses for free, simply by flashing their company IDs. For
employees who don’t live close to a bus stop, Principal contributes $35
a month to the cost of participating in a van-pooling program. The
company also helps employees avoid the need to drive by providing a
pharmacy and dry cleaning on site. Principal is also building a child
care center. |
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F5 Networks: Two years ago, 80
percent of the Seattle-based business software provider’s 600 employees
drove to work. Then the company began offering $300 a month to anyone
who would take public transportation or bike to work. Today, more than
half of the workforce is taking advantage of the offer. |
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Pitney Bowes: The Stamford,
Connecticut-based maker of postage meters and other mailing solutions
offers a variety of measures to make commuting easier for its 1,000
employees in the state. A company shuttle runs every 15 minutes during
the morning and evening between the Stamford railroad station and the
company’s two locations in the city, and the company has a special page
on its intranet where employees can view and print train and bus
schedules. Pitney Bowes also allows employees to work compressed
workweeks and to flex their schedules to avoid rush hour. |
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Microsoft: The software giant,
which is based in Redmond, Washington, and has 39,000 employees at its
headquarters, offers its own private bus system to pick up workers in
the Puget Sound area. Microsoft says the program eliminates 800 vehicle
trips and 32,200 miles of employee travel each day. Not only does that
make commuting easier, but it eliminates 3,800 tons of carbon emissions
annually—a big plus to climate change-conscious techies. |
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Safeco: The Seattle insurer has
more than 2,000 employees in the Puget Sound area, 90 percent of whom
take public transportation or bike to work. The company makes it easier
for them by subsidizing their use of Zipcar, a Boston-based rental
company that enables users to reserve vehicles by the hour or the day
online and pick them up at various locations around Seattle.
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STS Telecom: The Cooper City,
Florida-based provider of conventional and hosted Voice over Internet
Protocol phone service reimburses employees for a portion of their daily
commute—about $2 for each gallon of gas they use. In addition, the
75-employee company offers $250 toward the lease or purchase of a
gas-electric hybrid car. |
Patrick J. Kiger is a freelance writer based in the Washington, D.C., area. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
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