Research Triangle Park, N.C. - The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) has honored six companies and one individual for their work in promoting an alternative to commuting to and from work in a single-occupied vehicle. The awards ceremony was held Friday, July 29th at 8:30 AM at the Millennium Durham Hotel, off Morreene Road at US 15 & 501.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners enacted the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Ordinance in 1999. TTA is the administrator of CTR with the aim of improving the quality of life by reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and fuel consumption. To achieve these goals, employers develop programs that encourage employees who drive alone to work to consider an alternative mode such as buses, vanpools, carpools, biking, telecommuting or walking.

A 2004-2005 survey of nearly 14,000 employees in Durham County showed that between 15 and 20 per cent of them are using an alternative mode that has reduced single occupied vehicle travel by more than 217,000 miles weekly. Every week in Durham County, the total mileage generated by alternative commuting is the same as driving from Durham to Los Angeles and back 43 times.

The winners announced at today’s ceremonies:
 

Innovator Award – Small Company
CATO Research has 142 employees. In addition to campus shuttles, an airport shuttle and clothes lockers and showers for commuters, CATO Research also began hosting ridematching luncheons to improve its carpool participation (which is currently at 8%) and is considering a bicycle driving training course depending upon employee interest.

Innovator Award – Medium Company
BASF has 550 employees and sends e-mails about commuting options, hosts a transportation fair and has bike lockers at its main employee entrance. This year, BASF began an on-site sale of transit passes and provides a $30 subsidy to employees for transit or a vanpool. The company was recently designated a “Best Workplace For Commuters.”

Innovator Award – Large Company
GlaxoSmithKline has 5,000 employees and 2,000 contractors. New employees are provided with alternative community information during orientation. GSK participates in the Emergency Ride Home program provided by TTA. Telecommuters are offered company paid high-speed digital connections (nearly 13% of their employees work remotely). The pharmaceutical company also has on-site cafeterias to reduce the need to use single occupied vehicles during lunch hours, a campus shuttle that takes employees to TTA’s Bus Transfer Center in RTP, transit pass sales and a $30 transit/vanpool subsidy. GSK also has an extensive ozone awareness program which includes outdoor signs with the air quality index for the day and contractors that do not use gasoline powered lawn equipment during “red” or “purple” ozone action days.

Leadership Award – Small Company
CIIT-Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology has 122 employees. The institute educates its employees through new employee orientation, the annual SmartCommute challenge, airport shuttles, teleconferencing, bike racks, lockers and showers. Currently 16% of CIIT’s employees use some form of alternative commuting mode.

Leadership Award – Medium Company
Syngenta has 223 employees. Alternative commuting by its employees has increased from 15% to 20%. Telecommuting is allowed and employees can work flexible hours. On-site bike racks, showers and recreational amenities are also available.

Leadership Award – Large Company
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has 1,200 employees. The NIEHS Transhare program provides up to $105 per month in fare subsidies for transit and vanpools. It also encourages rideshare matching through TTA and has a formal telecommuting program. Bike racks, showers and locker facilities are provided along with preferred parking for carpools and vanpools. Over the past year, alternative commuting has increased from 15% to 19%.

Outstanding Employee Transportation Coordinator-2005
This year’s Outstanding Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) is Tejuan Manners at IBM. Tejuan helps promote transportation alternatives for IBM’s 13,397 employees and 3,117 contractors. IBM has an extensive alternative commuting program and has on-site commuter information centers, designated preferred parking for carpools and vanpools, 20% discount on transit passes through SmartCommute and a $15 per month vanpool subsidy. IBM also offers an emergency ride home (ERH) program in addition to promoting the ERH program managed by TTA. When IBM sold part of its company to Lenovo, employees who went with the new company were no longer eligible for IBM’s commuter benefits. Tejuan contacted TTA and worked to encourage the creation of a program at Lenovo.

TTA is a regional public transportation provider, offering a wide variety of transit and vanpool services to North Carolina's greater Triangle Region and outlying counties. Bus service is available to Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, RDU International Airport, Research Triangle Park (RTP) and Raleigh. The Triangle Transit Authority also provides commuter resources and hosts GoTriangle.org, the on-line resource for public transportation information in the Triangle.

TTA plans to implement a 28-mile rail transit system with 12 stations connecting Durham, RTP, Cary and Raleigh, with shuttles linking RDU International Airport and RTP. The rail transit system is expected to be operational in late 2008. For more information, visit www.rideTTA.org or call (919) 549-9999.