Miami Employers Tell Workers to Kick Back and Relax

Paying Them Not to Drive: Some companies in commuter-happy Miami are offering incentives to encourage employees to use public transportation, in lieu of driving to work. The strategy is twofold: to reduce toxic emissions and help ease the pain of rising gas prices. The city of North Miami is the latest locality to endorse the idea, offering discounts to employees who buy passes for commuter rail. Reportedly, people making the switch would pay $15 a month, instead of the usual $75 monthly fee. About 9,000 people are said to have signed up already. Given the huge discount, it makes one wonder if some splinter group won’t file a lawsuit saying the practice is unfair, although nothing like that is reported to have happened. The initiative is part of the Miami-Dade Transit Corporate Incentive Program, which provides pretax savings and other benefits to employees who purchase rail passes through their employer.