welcome to the department of transportation






	And that change begins with a few simple steps. First, imagine not driving yourself to work. No more stop-and-go through traffic thicker than molasses. No more grinding the gears and grinding your teeth. No more dealing with the dips in the road. Next, try taking a different way to work. There are more than you might think; one of them is sure to fit your schedule and your style. Then get ready for change. If you choose a transit alternative, you'll get something everyone wants: More time. Time spent driving that you can now use to read, listen to tapes or just think your own deep thoughts. Plus, you'll arrive at work in a better frame of mind, ready for a productive day. If you choose an active alternative ‚ such as walking, biking or skating to work ‚ you'll enjoy the benefits of regular exercise. You'll be more fit, healthier and (maybe) thinner. And the change you'll see in your pocket will be more than pocket change. Savings on gas, maintenance and parking can mount up fast ‚ for many drivers, those costs can total thousands of dollars a year. Depending on your daily commute, you may realize even further savings on your insurance payments. You'll breathe easier, too. Because trying an alternative way of getting to work will actually clear the air, making our air cleaner and better for us all to breathe.



	Let's say you want to try a different kind of commuting, but don't know where to start. No problem: People at the Mobility Alternatives Program (MAP) have worked hard to make the alternatives easy. Here are the programs they can help you and your co-workers take advantage of:

	COMPASS You can get monthly Trailpasses or Transpasses delivered directly to you at work. SEPTA can arrange with your employer to deliver transit passes and schedules. Passes are offered at a 5 percent discount, with your company providing an additional 5 percent discount. That adds up to a 10 percent savings and a hassle-free purchase. TransitChek This program provides a great double benefit. You can receive up to $780 each year in tax-free subsidies from your employer toward transit expenses. Then use your TransitChek vouchers to buy passes, tickets and tokens on any of our regional transit systems. Plus, if your employer offers TransitChek subsidies, they can earn a tax deduction. Everyone wins! Share-A-Ride If you live in Philadelphia, chances are we can find a ride to work for you to share. This free service matches you with others who work in the same part of the City and offers carpooling and vanpooling alternatives. Share-A-Ride also suggests transit, biking and walking routes to take the place of car commuting. Share-A-Ride can even provide you with individual ride matching through the Internet. Just set your browser to http://www.share-a-ride.org and follow the instructions. Talk about getting everything you need to know about commuting in one place! Telecommuting Sometimes you don't have to commute at all, or at least not all the time. MAP can tell your employer about how telecommuter productivity compares with that of in-office workers and what kinds of firms have used telecommuting successfully. MAP can also put your employer in touch with experts who can get a telecommuting program up and running in no time. Flextime/Compressed Work Weeks Many employers have found that minor changes in the work week can make major differences in employees' commuting. Staggering the hours that workers arrive at or leave the job can help them use mass transit or carpools, for example. Or adapting the 40-hour work week to four 10-hour days can reduce the demands of commuting on all employees. Employers can turn to MAP for advice and examples of progressive scheduling. Employee education MAP has a number of ways of letting commuters know their options. Transit fairs, located in common locations like lobbies or cafeterias, are very popular and effective ways of telling people one-on-one about transportation alternatives. MAP representatives will meet with your managers to stage an event that's appropriate to your workplace.