Commute Benefit Plan Spotlight: Your Health Idaho

Employers and organizations frequently ask us, “what motivates employees to try a smart commute and stick with it?” Often, they assume it will take a very generous budget and sweeping policy change, but the truth is - it doesn’t really take much to support a smart commuter. Many “amenities” and “benefits” are free, low-cost, and simple to implement. ACHD Commuteride is prepared to help plan, prepare, and even fund smart commute benefit programs through the Commuteride Workspace Mobility Grant. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Take a look at how Your Health Idaho, an online health insurance marketplace for families and small businesses, promotes and sustains smart commute options at their worksite in southeast Boise.

Break Room / Kitchen Amenities

Your Health Idaho has an on-site kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, water supply, and more - common workplace amenities that allow employees to bring and prepare their lunch and coffee, rather than needing to leave during the day. An inviting kitchen and eating space supports commuters who vanpool, carpool, take the bus, bike, or walk to work.

Bike Storage / Showers

The first thing most people who are interested in walking, running, or biking to work say is, “Ew, I don’t want to be hot or sweaty all day at work after commuting into work in the warm months.” We don’t blame you! After riding in to work, Your Health Idaho employees can safely lock their bikes to the provided bike rack and take a quick shower, if needed.

Financial Incentives

Your Health Idaho recently relocated their office from downtown Boise to southeast Boise, which increased the commute distance and time for many of its employees. To continue encouraging smart commuting, Your Health Idaho doubled their employee bus and vanpool subsidies. Now THAT is true support!

The number one thing an employer can do to encourage smart commuting is subsidize the cost of a smart commute for its employees. What does that mean? Subsidizing a commute cost could be paying all or a portion of the employees’ bus fares, vanpool fares, carpool parking permit, etc. The total cost of implementing a subsidy is dependent on how many employees take advantage of it - so be sure to consider that when setting a budget - it may be less expense than you think, especially if you’re no longer paying for their parking space.

Ready to Build Your Own Smart Commute Benefit Plan?

Check out our Commuteride Works program - we are happy to help identify your organization’s needs, survey the employees, and help you build a custom plan to encourage and support smart commutes - free of charge!

The Commuteride Workspace Mobility Grant is open through Friday, August 6. Grant funds can be used to purchase an of the amenities or benefits mentioned above, and more! Be creative in how you could best use up to $3,000 in grant funding to support your employees’ smart commute options.

More information and eligibility requirements.

COMPASS Regional Park and Ride Study

The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) led a regional park and ride study that resulted in a park and ride plan for the Treasure Valley. The plan includes strategies for locating and servicing park and ride lots throughout the region to best support transportation modes beyond single-occupancy vehicles, such as transit, vanpools, carpools, biking, and walking, to create a more mobile and connected future in the Treasure Valley.

View the final COMPASS Regional Park and Ride Study here.

For more information, visit the COMPASS Park and Ride webpage.

December 2020 News & Updates

Believe it or not, the end of the year is just around the corner (and here we were thinking it was still March!). This year was certainly not what we expected, but with a little patience, creativity, and gumption, we think it’s been a pretty successful - albeit different - year for transportation in the Treasure Valley.

However you get to work these days, just know that we haven’t forgotten you. In fact, we’ve teamed up with several other transit agencies to make commuting and getting around not just easy and affordable, but safe and fun. Take a look!

Safe Travels, Treasure Valley

ACHD Commuteride has teamed up with City Go, Boise Green Bike, and Valley Regional Transit to inform the public about changes to transportation services and safe commute policies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we’re working on new ways to stay connected and measure progress along the way.

Subscribe to the biweekly Safe Travels, Treasure Valley newsletter to learn how bus, vanpool, and downtown mobility services are improving safety measures, stay abreast of transportation news and events, and track COVID data in our community.

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Work from Home Challenge

Working from home? This challenge is for you! From December 1 – 14, log each day you work from home. In times like these, extra motivation to keep up behaviors that keep us safe and reduce traffic impacts is so important.

How to Win Log at least 4 work from home “trips” between December 1 – 14 to qualify for prize drawings. We’ll randomly select three winners on Tuesday, December 15.

How it Works

• Create or log in to your Share the Ride Idaho profile, preferably using your work email address. Click here to join the Commuteride network.

• Log at least 8 work from home “trips” during the two weeks to be entered into the prize drawings! Three winners will receive prizes!

• Spread the word with family and friends – anyone who lives or works in the Treasure Valley can participate!

Prizes Three randomly selected winners will receive the following prizes:

• Two Idaho Botanical Garden event tickets (Can be used for Winter Garden aGlow and other events)

• One Christmas in Color ticket (Good for one vehicle)

• $30 Bogus Basin gift card

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City Go Downtown Holiday Walking Guide

Grab your kids, your date, or your best quarantine buddy and take a holiday stroll with us in downtown Boise. Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift, a delicious treat on the go, or want to enjoy the holiday sights, City Go’s interactive Holiday Walking Guide will provide you the perfect resource.  

The map features some of the best-hidden shopping spots to find the perfect gift for the most difficult person on your list. It also features the best sights to see downtown this holiday season from the Giving Tree to Inspiration Alley. Finally, the map showcases some of our favorite food items from local restaurants that are easy to take with you on your walk. 

2019 Annual Report

By all accounts, 2019 was a successful year for Commuteride. Not only did we execute all our services and exceed our goals, we stayed under budget and maintained a commitment to the high quality of life in the Treasure Valley. We faced many challenges in 2019, including a vacant job position, an outdated rideshare platform, a limited understanding of how Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies can benefit the region, and a growing concern regarding financial sustainability.  

The Commuteride team tackled those challenges and came out ahead. We added a new team member – Michelle Tang – to manage our Club Red vanpool and park/ride programs. We also updated our rideshare platform with minimal disruption to existing commuters. This new platform, Share the Ride Idaho, enabled us to help our partners in more creative ways, including a "Rideboard" for one-time trip matching. We are proud to share that Bogus Basin Mountain recreation Area is already taking advantage of the Rideboard to promote their new carpool program. We also “spread the word” on TDM benefits by creating the “Let’s Talk Transportation” educational series. By partnering with other organizations we were able to increase the knowledge base in the valley. Finally, we are proud that our initiative to start reporting ridership data to the National Transit Database helped increase the federal dollars coming to this region by more than $1.5M.  

Although just a few months into the new year, Commuteride has already strengthened its vanpool program, improved the park and ride program with improved data, marketing, and partnerships, initiated a study to determine future park and ride needs and opportunities, and began work on a pilot schoolpool program. I look forward to 2020 and leading Commuteride up and over new challenges by keeping on mission, focusing on quality of life, and collaborating with our partners.

Please take a moment to browse our accomplishments in the 2019 Annual Report. It is an honor to work with commuters, employers, and our community on smart commute options.

Maureen H. Gresham, AICP

Telework Works! 5 Steps to Implement a Telework Policy in Your Workplace

1. Work with your HR department and/or legal counsel to establish a telework policy and employee agreement.

   *Download our sample telework policy, short-term employee agreement, and long-term employee agreement to get started!

2. Ensure that your workplace has the necessary equipment and technology available, including hardware, software, internet connectivity, and collaboration tools  

3. Determine which jobs and employees are eligible for telework  

4. Encourage supervisors to establish communication protocols, work progress expectations, and periodic evaluations 

5. Arrange a telework trial run for a department or select group of employees to determine if it can and should be implemented company wide  

2018 Annual Report

What a privilege it is to work with the many Treasure Valley businesses, organizations, and employees who so proudly support our mission to improve the quality of life through smart commute options. ACHD Commuteride could not have accomplished the successes outlined in this report without these partnerships.

From its beginnings as Valley Commuteride, a carpool matching service established over 40 years ago, to its current status as the longest running multi-employer vanpool program in the nation, Commuteride has led the Treasure Valley in a reduction in vehicle miles traveled. Through education, outreach, and partnerships, we continue to promote Transportation Demand Management.

Forty years later, our goal remains the same: preserve the life of our existing roadways and limit the impacts of traffic in the Treasure Valley. We take pride in the positive impacts that result from our work – fewer greenhouse gas emissions and water pollutants.

All in all, 2018 was an outstanding year. It is my personal and professional pleasure to lead Commuteride toward an even more successful 2019. Thank you to everyone who supports Commuteride. We look forward to continuing our partnerships, education, and services with each and every one of you.

Please take a moment to browse our accomplishments in the 2018 Annual Report. It is an honor to work with commuters, employers, and our community on smart commute options.

Maureen H. Gresham, AICP

Let's Talk Transportation

Few industries will experience more disruption in the next few years than transportation. How many of us have ordered from Amazon rather than going to the store? Or, taken Uber to get downtown rather than driving? Further, how many of us are eagerly awaiting the flying taxi? Seriously, it’s real. 

Mobility is changing quickly; shifting demographics, emerging technology, and flexible work schedules dictate how and why we travel. For the first time in history, this country’s workforce is made up of five generations of adults, ranging from age 20 to 89. And all those baby boomers? While many are still working, that still leaves a huge population that isn’t using our transportation network for commute purposes. In fact, over the last few decades, the greatest growth in travel is not related to work trips.

Advances in technology also affect how we use the transportation network. The US Department of Transportation “Beyond Traffic 2045” report projects that freight volume in the United States will increase by 45 percent, due in part to online shopping. Let us not forget ridehailing services such as Uber and Lyft, both great options to increase an individual’s mobility (if they can afford it), but do nothing to reduce the vehicle miles traveled on our already congested network. 

Planning and designing our future transportation infrastructure must adapt in order to achieve a transportation network that both increases mobility and quality of life. This spring, five local organizations will come together to present a transportation series to highlight the opportunities these changes bring and spark debate and action on how our region can better prepare for the future. The 2019 Transportation Series includes five valuable and insightful learning opportunities that demonstrate leadership in transportation demand management (TDM) and provide thoughtful transportation planning for the Treasure Valley.  

You will learn from the Southwest Idaho chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), Urban Land Institute Idaho (ULI), ACHD Commuteride, and Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS). The culmination of these events, conducted by the City Club of Boise, will bring together a panel of experts to discuss “where we go now.” Please join me in attending each of these sessions and learn how to future-proof our region’s transportation infrastructure.

Learn more at www.LetsTalkTransportation.com.