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Challenge Your Employees for Bike Month 2018

National Bike Month, an annual tradition since 1956, is coming up in May. Sponsored nationally by the League of American Bicyclists, the National Bike Month event is designed to promote the many health and environmental benefits of cycling.

Each year, employers play a major role in National Bike Month’s success. Thousands of employers across the country hold friendly competitions and challenges designed to get their commuters actively participating. If you’re thinking of hosting a National Bike Month commuting challenge this year, we have a few tips that can help you encourage more robust participation rates.

Create Team-Based Competitions with Attractive Prizes

This go-to strategy is a surefire way to get the whole company engaged. Divide your commuter base up into teams, in whatever way works. For example, you could draw names at random, allow teams to self-select, or have teams for each department (accounting, human resources, etc.). Then, track team-based standings based on the number of bike commutes logged, or the number of miles biked, or both! Offer a prize to the team that wins the competition at the end of the month — something that will motivate people to keep taking part.

Add Smaller Weekly Prizes for Ongoing Engagement

It can be tough to keep people engaged if one team pulls way ahead in the standings, or if luck of the draw leaves another team with little hope of winning the month-long challenge. To encourage continued participation, offer smaller weekly prizes to teams or individuals that log the most trips or miles in each given week.

Run Raffles to Encourage Everyone

A similar strategy that also works well is to run a raffle draw for smaller prizes, giving participants one entry per logged bike commute. The drawings can be held weekly, giving everyone an incentive to participate at least a little bit. Of course, this strategy also rewards those who cycle frequently with more chances to win the draw, which is also a great motivator.

As always, the RideAmigos team is here to help with tools and tips to increase the reach and impact of your commuter programs, during National Bike Month and throughout the year. Please get in touch if we can help.

 

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Commuter Programs for Enterprises

Commuter Programs for Enterprises

Explore creative ideas for enterprise commuter programs that will generate high participation rates

Businesses have a lot of options when it comes to creating enterprise-level commuter programs. Given the highly varied sizes and operational natures of companies that want to encourage new ways of commuting, some are more readily applicable than others. With that in mind, here’s an overview of the main types of programs that have proven to be popular and effective with companies of all sizes, and in all industries:

  • Rideshare programs. Create carpool networks that match employees commuting in from the same neighborhood or geographic region.
  • Challenges and gamification. Stimulate increased participation levels by introducing friendly challenges and gamification techniques that reward employees for using alternatives to single-passenger vehicles.
  • Incentive programs. Rewards for achieving a specific level of smart transportation usage can take many forms, from gift cards and event tickets to paid nights out at local restaurants or even cash. These make great motivational tools!
  • Transit pass subsidies. By shouldering part or all of the cost of a monthly local transit pass, employers give team members further incentive to leave their cars at home and hop on the bus, train, or subway.
  • The “guaranteed ride home.” Some people balk at biking because they worry about being stranded if bad weather hits unexpectedly. Offering a “guaranteed ride home” is an effective answer.
  • Tax benefit programs. Recent increases in transport-related monthly pre-tax spending allowances make alternative commuting a smarter option for both employees and enterprises.

Team members and businesses alike benefit in big ways from commuter programs

Commuter programs for enterprises and employee rideshare solutions create a long list of added benefits for participants. Biking to work is a great way to get exercise, enjoy fresh outdoor air, and improve health. Commuter transportation programs also reduce the stress involved with the daily commute to and from work, which in turn leads to increased productivity and higher overall job (and life) satisfaction. Employers thus benefit from improved employee retention rates, as well as the ability to attract better-quality talent from the job market.

The RideAmigos software platform makes it easy to create and manage commuter programs for your enterprise, connecting participants using the power of modern technology. If you’d like to explore ways to help change your company’s commuter patterns in more detail, please contact us or sign up for a free, comprehensive video demonstration.

Employee Commuter Programs

Engage employees and encourage smarter commuting with programs that promote alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles

As many businesses have found, getting employees to change their commuting habits requires more than just advertising alternatives. Even the best-intentioned directives are likely to fall flat if they aren’t backed up with action. So how can you find success? You can create lasting change by incorporating robust employee commuter programs into your workplace experience.

Enterprise-level commuter programs use proven transportation demand management tools to engage employees. Such programs dramatically increase the likelihood that employees will skip the solo drive and make use of alternative transportation. Drawing on a range of strategies that incentivize the use of smarter commuting options, they help guide employees away from single-occupancy vehicles. Commuter programs help create a company culture that places a high value on smarter, more environmentally responsible ways of getting to and from work.

Here are just a few examples of programs with proven popularity and effectiveness:

  • Ridesharing communities. Leverage the power of technology to connect commuters in the same geographic area with rideshares and carpools.
  • Incentive programs and gamification. Make smarter commuting fun! Use points programs and games that track employee use of transportation alternatives and reward ongoing participation.
  • Team challenges. Create friendly competitions between employees by organizing team-based rewards during bike-to-work or carpool challenges.
  • Subsidies and tax benefits. Cost concerns are one of the biggest barriers for commuters who are on the fence about using alternate methods of traveling to and from work. Therefore, one way to tip the scales is to subsidize public transportation passes. Another way is giving employees the option to use pre-tax income for transit or vanpools. These strategies can make other modes of travel cheaper than driving a single-occupancy vehicle.

Employee commuter programs pay big dividends for businesses and communities alike.

When people get on the alternative transportation bandwagon, everybody wins. Studies have shown that smarter commuting leads to increased employee satisfaction and productivity by reducing stress. Communities benefit through reduced pollution and eased traffic congestion. Businesses enjoy boosted employee retention rates and decreased facilities costs. All while making the company more attractive to prospective partners, investors, and employees through its commitment to forward-looking values.

The RideAmigos transportation demand management platform offers a comprehensive range of support tools for employee commuter programs. Commuters can leverage our software’s powerful trip planning and community features to make alternative transportation easy to access and use. Administrators can take advantage of a long list of advanced data tracking and management options that help increase participation rates and improve program effectiveness.

If employee commuter programs sound like they could benefit your company, contact the RideAmigos team or sign up to view our free video demonstration.