The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ (COG) Commuter Connections program proudly recognized five local employers and organizations today for their outstanding commute alternative programs at the 26th annual Employer Recognition Awards ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Commuter Connections recognized George Mason University (GMU) of Fairfax County, VA, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company (Freddie Mac) of Fairfax County, VA, and Abt Associates of Montgomery County, MD, with awards for their incentives, marketing, and telework programs, respectively. In addition, COG’s signature commuter program honored Montgomery County Commuter Services with the 2023 Employer Services Sales Team Achievement Award and Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) with the 2023 Employer Services Organization Achievement Award.
“The employers we are honoring today have implemented innovative and successful commuter and telework programs. We hope that through their example, other organizations will embrace similar initiatives, creating more opportunities to maximize the efficiencies of shared commutes and telework,” said Reuben B. Collins II, Esq, Chair of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at COG and President of the Charles County Board of County Commissioners.
Commuter Connections received nominations from employers throughout the region, all of which focused on improving their employee morale and reducing carbon footprint through innovative commute alternative programs. A selection committee evaluated these nominations and chose the winners based on their dedication and capability to reduce gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through fewer vehicle trips and miles traveled —while creating measurable and sustainable commuter benefits for employees. By incentivizing and marketing these commute alternative programs, employers have contributed to the improvement of regional air quality and the reduction of traffic congestion.
“We are thrilled to honor George Mason University, Freddie Mac, Abt Associates, Montgomery County Commuter Services, and the Reston Town Center Association – some of which are now repeat winners of Employer Recognition Awards – for their implementation of innovative commute alternative programs and their ongoing commitment to reducing air emissions and traffic congestion in the region,” said Nicholas Ramfos, Director of Commuter Connections. “I look forward to seeing how these organizations continue to grow their programs, while serving as a model for other employers throughout the region who are looking to develop their own commute alternative programs.”
The 26th annual Employer Recognition Awardees are listed below, along with a summary of their efforts to improve employee commuting and advocate for commuting alternatives.
Incentives Award
George Mason University received the 2023 Employer Recognition Award for commuter incentives. Since last winning an award in 2006, GMU has developed a unique incentives program centered around a robust bicycle commuting initiative, online tools to connect employees to transit options, and a modern work environment for teleworking. The University has invested in online resources to encourage employees to explore alternative forms of transportation and to make alternatives more accessible. Of those employed on campus, 822 use alternative transportation methods to and from campus. There are 1,764 staffers who telework, and an additional 1,467 faculty members telework informally based on class schedules. Among many benefits offered for non-traditional commuting, GMU has a Bike Commuter Choice Program that offers financial support and benefits based on biking frequency. The University also offers free shuttle services with wi-fi, connecting riders to transit stops. A pre-tax benefit of up to $300 per month is available to help cover the cost of public transit or vanpools. Flextime and compressed work weeks are made available, as are bike racks and showers, and preferred parking is available for carpools and vanpools, along with rebates for formal carpools. GMU has produced online resources to inform faculty of their transportation options. In 2022, these incentive programs have led to an estimated reduction of 9,876,600 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and saved about 448,900 gallons of gas.
Marketing Award
The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company (Freddie Mac) received the 2023 Employer Recognition Award in marketing. Since 2015, their Commuter Benefits Program has offered a transit/vanpool subsidy of up to $300 per month, a direct shuttle to and from the McLean Metro station, preferred parking for vanpools, and bike racks, showers, and lockers for cyclists. Freddie Mac uses a variety of internal communications platforms to promote commuter benefits to employees. Its marketing tactics include messages in a daily employee newsletter, in-person presentations, advertisements on digital signage across the campus, and easy-to-access content on the company’s intranet. Freddie Mac has also promoted apps that help employees make decisions about commuting alternatives, which offer live tracking of the shuttle service. In 2022 the Freddie Mac commuter and telework programs reduced employee vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by nearly 250,000 miles.
Telework Award
Abt Associates received the 2023 Employer Recognition Award for the telework offering of its commuter benefits program. Since winning the Incentives Award in 2020, Abt has responded to the pandemic and changes in work conditions with a robust hybrid and remote work strategy. As a result, of the 530 people employed by Abt at its work site in the Washington metropolitan region, 60 percent of the staff work fully remote (five days per week), and 40 percent are either hybrid (three or four remote days per week) or primary on-site (up to two remote days per week). Abt also introduced a two-week flextime schedule and compressed work weeks for additional support and employee well-being. Abt has enhanced its virtual private network, digital collaboration tools, and file storage capabilities to improve and ease remote collaboration. Monthly public transit subsidies for staff who commute on-site, and home technology and ergonomics stipends for hybrid and fully remote employees are also provided. New employees receive Quick Start Guides on the program during onboarding, and the benefits are outlined on the Abt intranet and internal chat platform. The telework program has led to the reduction of nearly 1,720,330 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and saved nearly 78,200 gallons of gas annually.
Abt Associates won the 2023 Telework Award
Employer Services Sales Team Achievement Award
The Montgomery County Commuter Services received the 2023 Employer Services Sales Team Achievement Award, a recognition given to the Commuter Connections Employer Services sales team that most successfully met its goal of partnering with employers to develop and expand commute benefit offerings. During this past year with six sales representatives, the team made over 13,300 contacts and held over 200 meetings with employers in Montgomery County. Selection of the award recipient was based on information provided by the sales teams as part of their required monthly reporting to COG and through on-going database verifications. Montgomery County Commuter Services is in the Office of Transportation Policy of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and appreciates the support of its contractors with outreach and related efforts, including Bethesda Transportation Solutions, North Bethesda Transportation Center, Fovndry by Van Eperen, Sharp & Company, and McAndrew Company.
Employer Services Organization Achievement Award
The Reston Town Center Association received the 2023 Employer Services Organization Achievement Award for bringing transit services to those who work, live, and spend time at the Reston Town Center, a transit-oriented hub of community, cultural, and economic development in the Dulles Corridor. Since its launch in fall 2022, the Reston Town Center’s free shuttle service, linkRTC has become a new way to travel for the approximately 10,000 workers within its circulation route. Running Monday through Friday from 7:00 A.M.- 7:00 P.M., at 10-minute intervals, the route has six stops, including the Reston Town Center Metro Station. This convenient and reliable service is funded by Reston Town Center properties under a cost-sharing agreement. The shuttle is gaining fast momentum. During its fifth month of service, linkRTC reported a 42 percent increase in total boardings over the previous month. The service includes two 14-passenger vans and a mobile app that allows passengers to track the shuttle’s whereabouts and arrival time. linkRTC is operated by Reston Limousine under the authority of the association’s board of directors.