Employer Services
WHAT WE DO FOR EMPLOYERS
Commuter Services fits right in with many of the goals of employers in Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties. That’s why the Harrisburg Regional Chamber; the Lebanon Valley and the York County Chambers of Commerce; and the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry helped found Commuter Services. The Gettysburg Adams and Greater Chambersburg Chambers of Commerce and the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry now also are on the Commuter Services board and are active participants. Click here to learn more about our Employer Partners.
Free services to help employers:
- Recruit and retain workers; increase your labor pool
- Save on payroll taxes
- Reduce parking costs and/or spaces
- Get workers to work on time
- Improve attendance, enhance productivity
- Improve morale
- Achieve environmental benefits
Transportation Coordinator, Colette Stetler, accepts an award for MCC's high level of employee participation in Commuter Services' 2010 Earth Day promotions
Employers may not realize how much they influence their employees’ commuting habits. We’ll provide free assistance in tailoring a program to your specific needs. We come to your work site, meet with you, and help you structure a program that works best to get your workers out of their individual vehicles or out of rush hour traffic.
We offer information about Commuter Services in both English and Spanish. Please call 1.866.579.RIDE or
email us for more information.
Some options that we can tailor to make a difference include:
- Carpooling & vanpooling
- Transit promotion; TransitChek
- Emergency Ride Home program
- Preferential parking
- Biking & walking
- Teleworking
- Scheduling, including flextime, staggered shifts and compressed work weeks
- Payroll tax savings
- Promotional & educational activities
Tax savings & benefits
You can reduce your payroll taxes. Section 132(f) of the Federal tax code allows employers to offer pre-tax purchases of up to $245 per month per employee in 2012 for qualified transit, train or vanpooling benefits. Commuter Services can show you how this works.
You also can exclude up to $20 per month from an employee's wages in any month the worker "regularly uses" a bicycle to commute. The money can be used for "reasonable expenses," including bike purchase, improvement, storage or repair. However, the bike benefit can not be used in a month in which the employee is receiving another qualified transportation fringe benefit, such as a transit pass.
Pennsylvania Act 279 of 1982 excludes carpool and vanpool participants from the Workers Compensation Act (except for the driver of a company-owned or -leased vehicle), and from overtime and minimum wage laws. It exempts carpools/vanpools from motor carrier laws. Check with your legal counsel on these issues.
Transportation events
We customize outreach events for your workers, such as transportation fairs. We also can sign up workers for the
Ridematch database.
Emergency Ride Home
We can enroll you and your employees into the program that gives commuters who use alternatives a free ride home in case of urgent need, which breaks down a major barrier to using alternatives such as transit and carpooling. Talk to us or see our
ERH page to learn more.
Contact us now at
1.866.579.RIDE or by
emailing Commuter Services
to learn more or set up a meeting with a member of our outreach staff.
