Community Transit

Saving money, saving time, saving the environment, enjoying the trip to work rather than dreading it... these are all reasons why one out of five Puget Sound area commuters carpool, vanpool, bus, bike or walk to work or school. Click on the links above to learn about your transportation options. You might be surprised at how easy it is to find a better way to work or school!

Carpool

The Easiest Way to Stop Driving Alone

In a carpool, you'll save time by using the HOV lanes and you'll save money by splitting those gas bills. Carpooling may also lower your insurance premiums; check with your agent for details. Your employer may even provide you with benefits like a carpool subsidy or preferential parking.

Best of all, carpooling is flexible. The driving duties, schedule and route are all up to you!

Make the Most of Your Carpool

• Choose a convenient meeting point. Consider a residence or one of the area's many Park & Rides or Park & Pools.
• Determine the driving schedule. If one person is doing all the driving, find a fair way to split the costs.
• Establish a communication plan. How will you notify each other if plans change?
• Agree on the details. Should the radio be on? Is smoking permitted? How long should you wait if your partner is late?
• Practice the three C's of a successful carpool: Consideration, Compromise and Commitment.

Start Today

Starting or joining a carpool is easy. First, if you work for a large employer that participates in the Commute Trip Reduction Program, contact your Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) for information about the carpool incentives your company offers. Your ETC may also know of co-workers looking for carpool partners.

Or you can visit RideshareOnline.com. RideshareOnline.com is Washington State's online ridematching system and it puts you in direct control of your daily commute. With just a few clicks you have instant access to others who are interested in sharing the ride. You can also call (888) 814-1300 to get your information entered into the database.

Vanpool

Riders Have a Lot in Common (Like Easy Commutes)

A vanpool is a group of 5-15 commuters who ride to work together in a van provided by Community Transit. The Puget Sound region has the most vanpools of anywhere in the country, proving how convenient and efficient it is to share the ride. Visit our Vanpool page for a list of current vanpools operating to and from Snohomish County.

If you cross Puget Sound on your way to work, you'll love the priority loading that vanpools receive on our local ferries!

Vanpoolers pay a monthly fare based on their roundtrip mileage, the size of their van and how many riders are in the vanpool. This fare covers all maintenance, fuel and insurance costs. A van wash allowance helps your group keep its vehicle clean.

Vanpoolers can sometimes receive discounts on their personal auto insurance; check with your agent for details. Your employer may even offer financial subsidies or preferential parking for vanpool groups.

Clear the Air

Feel good about your commute! One vanpool can remove up to 14 vehicles from the road each day. In fact, Puget Sound area vanpoolers eliminate more than 11,000 vehicles from the region's roads daily.

Start Today

Learn more about Vanpooling, call Community Transit at (425) 348-7194 or email vanpool at commtrans dot org. We'll help with everything from finding members for your vanpool to getting your van on the road and every step in between.
 

Bus & Train

Take Time to Work, Read or Relax

Let us do the driving for you! Riding the bus can be a convenient alternative to your daily commute. Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit serve Snohomish and King counties, providing many options for riders.

Enjoy the Ride

To find out what bus to take for your next commute to work, try our online trip planner.

Take advantage of subsidized passes or other benefits your employer may provide. See your Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) or ask your Human Resources department about benefits at your company.

Take a stand against traffic. A full bus can remove over 40 cars from our congested roads.

Park Your Car

Park & Ride and Park & Pool lots offer free, convenient locations to leave your car and catch a bus or meet your carpool or vanpool partners. There are numerous lots throughout Snohomish County. Find the park & ride nearest you or contact Community Transit at (425) 353-RIDE (7433) or (800) 562-1375.

Bikes on Buses

You can also combine your bike commute with a bus ride. All regional buses are equipped with a rack that will hold most two-wheel bicycles. Racks are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Start Today

Follow these simple steps for a smooth ride: Plan to arrive at the marked bus stop a few minutes before the scheduled arrival time. Pay the fare with exact change, an ORCA card or a pre-purchased ticket or pass. When you approach your destination, signal the driver by pulling the bell cord or pressing the strip near the windows. It's that easy!

If you work for a large employer, contact your Employee Transportation Coordinator for bus schedules. You can also call Community Transit at (425) 353-RIDE (7433) or (800) 562-1375 or email us at riders at commtrans dot org. We're happy to help you plan your trip.
 

Bike & Walk

Make your daily commute your daily workout

If you live within several miles of your workplace, biking or walking a few days a week can be a great alternative to traffic hassles and commuting costs.

Commuting under your own steam is virtually cost-free, while owning and operating your own car can cost as much as 74 cents per mile (based on AAA's 2010 Driving Cost Analysis).

Best of all, you'll be on the road to fitness, burning calories, strengthening your heart and relieving stress all on your way to work, without starting up your car! You, and the air you breathe, will be in great shape!

Bike to Work Day and the Bike Commute Challenge are great ways to give bicycling to work a try. See our Bike to Work page for many resources, and our Bikes on Buses page for maps, bike lockers and more.

A great way to get started is to connect with a buddy... there's safety in numbers! Your Employee Transportation Coordinator or Human Resources department may know of other employees who bike or walk to work and would be willing to share advice and routes.

Start Today

Contact your local bicycle club or ask other employees who bike or walk what route they take. Consult a retailer about what equipment you'll need.

Check with your Employee Transportation Coordinator about worksite services for bikers and walkers. Many companies provide lockers, showers, bike racks and other amenities to their employees.
 

Compressed Work Week

Alternative Work Week Schedules Give You Options

Employees who compress their 40 hours of work into less than five days take trips off the road and gain flexibility. Employees may work "4/10s" (four 10-hour days), "3/36" (three 12-hour days) or "9/80" (80 hours worked in nine days, with the tenth day off) or flexible schedules that avoid peak commute times.

There are advantages to both the employers and the employees with compressed work week schedules:

Employer Advantages:

• Helps achieve Commute Trip Reduction goals
• Gains hours of coverage for business services without paying overtime wages
• Provides a recruitment tool
• Reduces employee absenteeism and tardiness
• Increases employee morale

Employee Advantages:

• Can provide three or four day weekends
• Offers an opportunity to help "clear the air"
• Increases morale, employee loyalty
• Decreases absenteeism and tardiness
• Provides better balance between work/personal time
• One of the most coveted benefits an employer can offer

Check with your employer to see if Compressed Work Week is an option for you.

Telework

Work from home or a location closer to your home and save time and money. Teleworking can result in higher quality work at a lower cost. It empowers people to work independently and have greater control over their lives. That's why many experts are calling teleworking a significant new work arrangement for the millenium.

Telework increases a company's ability to recruit and retain the best employees. Many companies are feeling the pressure to improve their bottom line by doing more with less. Employees can more easily balance the demands of their work and home lives.

Many tools are available to help begin a telework program at your worksite.

• Telework Workbook: A guide to proposing, preparing and implementing a telework program
• Cost/Analysis Benefit Calculator available in PDF form or online.
• Home office checklist
• Employee equipment worksheet
• Sample short agreement (Word.doc)
• Sample long agreement (Word.doc)

Is it for you?

Ideally, teleworkers have jobs that can be completed satisfactorily even when the employee is not always on site. They frequently live far from work, require a lot of time in the field or spend much of their time at a computer.

Links

Commuter Benefits

• Calculate Your Driving Costs
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Find a Carpool or Vanpool Partner

Commuter Information

• Traffic Cameras
• Today's Air Quality
• Road Construction Information
• Transit Rider Alerts
• Bicycle Information and Maps

Share the Ride and Win!

• Are you a Smart Commuter? Smart Commuter Rewards is a new incentive program to help worksites encourage employees to reduce drive along trips and vehicle miles traveled.
• Sign up to Win with Wheel Options. Wheel Options is a statewide promotion to encourage commuters to try an alternative to driving alone just twice during the two week period.