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Commuter Rewards

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Community Transit's Transportation Demand Management (TDM) specialists are ready to assist with all aspects of your Employee Transportation Program.

Mark Melnyk, TDM Specialist mark.melnyk at commtrans dot org
(425) 348-2304
Coordinator for Bothell, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace

Jillian Derscheid, TDM Specialist jillian.derscheid at commtrans dot org
(425) 438-6163
Coordinator for Arlington, Lynnwood, Marysville, Monroe, Mukilteo and unincorporated Snohomish County

Commuting Smart Has Its
Benefits and Rewards

Smart Commuter Rewards is a new incentive program to help worksites encourage employees to reduce drive alone trips and vehicle miles traveled.

Benefit: Smart commute choices
keep business moving

Traffic congestion wastes time and money by delaying people, products and services. You help solve this problem when you choose a smart alternative to driving alone. Your efforts reduce traffic, help the environment and more importantly, keep business moving.

Rewards: Win up to $250 and more

Smart Commuter Rewards is here to help you become a commuting genius. We can help you find alternatives to driving alone, such as carpooling, vanpooling, riding the bus, walking or bicycling. And to reward you for being so clever, we offer Smart Commuter Rewards participants the chance to win up to $250 per quarter. Enroll in Smart Commuter Rewards, log your trips and instantly raise your commuter IQ!

Smart Commuter Rewards is an incentive program to help worksites reach their goals to reduce drive-alone trips and vehicle miles traveled by their employees. This program is funded through a partnership with WSDOT, local governments, and businesses.

Quarterly Rewards

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Prize Level Prize* Days per Quarter
Smart Commuter of the Quarter
$250 Reward (one winner)
  • Photo on bus exterior ad, worksite posters and Community Transit website
  • Invitation to Smart Commuter Awards Luncheon (held in March)
  • Nominated for Smart Commuter of the Year
 48+
(average of four
days a week)
Genius Level
$100 Rewards (five winners)
 48+
Brilliant Level
$50 Rewards (10 winners)
 36-47
(average of three
days a week)
Clever Level
$25 Rewards (20 winners)
 24-35
(average of two
days a week)

* Rewards can be redeemed in the form of gas cards or transportation vouchers.  So when you win, you can choose your own way to show off your Smart Commuter IQ!

Guaranteed Smart Commuter Rewards

No winner at your worksite in any of the Smart Commuter Rewards categories? No problem. If your employer partners with Community Transit and has at least five Smart Commuters logging trips on RideshareOnline.com, there will be a second chance drawing for a $25 Reward to guarantee a winner at your worksite.

Second chance drawing will only be held if the worksite does not have a winner in the Clever, Brilliant, Genius or Smart Commuter of the Quarter levels. Participants must have logged at least 24 trips in the previous quarter to be eligible for the prize drawing.

How to Participate

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Step 1: Register at www.RideshareOnline.com. If you’re already signed up for an account there, that’s great! You can continue to use your existing RideshareOnline.com login and password.

Step 2: If you need help finding a drive-alone alternative that suits your lifestyle and work schedule, contact your Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) or a TDM Specialist to help you plan your trip, answer questions and provide information on options like taking the bus, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling and walking.

Step 3: Start making trips by bus, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling or walking at least 8 days per month. You can even count teleworking or days you have off due to working a compressed work week.

Step 4: To qualify for Smart Commuter Rewards, track your trips online using your personalized RideshareOnline.com Calendar. The more days you make smarter trips, the bigger prizes you can win!

Smart Commuter Rewards Participation Eligibility

1. You must commute to a worksite in Snohomish County or City of Bothell that receives Commute Trip Reduction services from Community Transit. See worksite list.
 

2. You must register at www.RideshareOnline.com. Participants without Internet access can request a paper form by calling (425) 348-2304.
 

3. Random drawings will be conducted in each category (except Smart Commuter of the Quarter) to determine reward winners. All individuals not winning in their highest level achieved will automatically be entered into lower prize levels and become eligible for prizes at those levels. (i.e. non-winners in Genius Level are automatically entered into the Brilliant level, etc.)
 

4. Smart Commuter of the Quarter will be selected from Genius Level participants by the Peer Advisory Board using pre-determined criteria. Genius Level participants will be contacted via email to provide a brief description of their commute and other information to assist the Peer Advisory Board in selecting a winner.

Prize Drawing Eligibility

1. To be eligible for a quarterly Smart Commuter Rewards prize drawing, you must do all of the following:

  • Make a trip by bus, carpool, vanpool, bicycling or walking on at least 24 days during the three calendar months that make up the quarter (roughly eight times per month). Teleworking and working a compressed work week also qualify as eligible "trips."
  • Log your trips on the RideshareOnline.com calendar or on a paper calendar provided by Community Transit.
  • Complete your Smart Commuter Rewards calendar online (or submit paper calendar) no later than the last business day prior to the day of the quarterly drawing (see prize drawing dates listed below).

2. Quarterly drawings will be held on the following dates:

  • 1st Quarter (January, February and March trips): April 10
  • 2nd Quarter (April, May and June trips): July 10
  • 3rd Quarter (July, August and September trips): October 10
  • 4th Quarter (October, November and December trips): January 10

3. Employees of Community Transit and their immediate family members are not eligible to win incentive prizes. Everyone is nevertheless encouraged to register and log trips on the RideshareOnline.com calendar.

4. Continuation of incentives is dependent on the availability of funds. Community Transit may adjust program or incentive details to ensure program efficiency. Community Transit and RideshareOnline.com are not responsible for technical failures in entry transmission, or lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, illegible, or postage-due entries. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use prize winners’ names, hometowns, and any text submitted for the purposes of promotion on behalf of Smart Commuter Rewards.

5. When prize drawing dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the drawing will be held on the next business day.

6. If you are selected for one of the prizes, a TDM Specialist will contact you directly to arrange the details of delivering the prize to you. After you have been contacted, your reward will be delivered to you in four to six weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Participate   Rewards  Resources Eligibility   FAQs  Sign In
 
What is the purpose of Smart Commuter Rewards?
Reduce traffic congestion and improve quality of life by promoting transportation by bus, carpool, vanpool, bicycling, walking, teleworking and working a compressed work week.
What is a Reward?
Rewards are the prizes awarded to the winners who may select their prize in the form of a gas card or a transportation voucher that can be applied to the purchase of a transit pass or vanpool fare.
How is this program funded?
Program is funded in partnership with WSDOT, local governments, and businesses.
Who are the eligible worksites?
Eligible worksites are worksites that have partnered with Community Transit to receive Commute Trip Reduction services. Eligible worksites are located in the following jurisdictions:
  • Arlington
  • Bothell
  • Edmonds
  • Lynnwood
  • Marysville
  • Monroe
  • Mountlake Terrace
  • Mukilteo
  • Unincorporated Snohomish County
I work at an employer not listed in RideshareOnline.com.  How do I enter?
Since only worksites that are partnering with Community Transit are eligible for Smart Commuter Rewards, you can:
  • Contact Community Transit and we will contact your employer to see if they are interested in partnering with us. Or
  • Visit your employer’s Human Resources department to see if they would like to add an employee transportation program to your worksite benefits. Click here for more details.
Why is this program only available to partnering employers?
The partnering employers have drive alone trip reduction goals established by their jurisdiction. Smart Commuter Rewards is an incentive program to help the worksites reach their goals in reducing drive alone trips and vehicle miles traveled by their employees. 
How will this program work to address traffic congestion?
There is no single way to reduce congestion. Rather, we need a multi-faceted approach. Smart Commuter Rewards is part of the overall solution by increasing awareness about transportation choices and eliminating some of the barriers that keep people from trying an alternative to driving alone.
What is the purpose of the RideshareOnline.com calendar?
Community Transit uses the tracking calendars to:
  • Confirm participant eligibility for program incentives. 
  • Determine the number of vehicle trips removed for each worksite.
  • Measure increases in bus ridership, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling and walking.

The act of logging trips also helps you:
  • Notice opportunities for making more of your trips by bus, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling or walking.
  • See the money you save and the good you do for your environment. 
How will my personal information be used?
Your personal information will remain confidential and is only used by Community Transit to send you requested materials and incentives. Community Transit will not sell, distribute, or otherwise disseminate your information to any third party. Information given by participants, both contact information and commuting information, will be kept confidential, unless authorized by you for the purposes of finding a carpool, vanpool or bicycling/walking buddies. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use prize winners’ names, hometowns, and any text submitted for the purposes of promotion on behalf of Smart Commuter Rewards.
How do I receive my prize if I am a winner?
A  TDM Specialist will contact you directly to arrange getting your prize to you. After you have been contacted, the reward will be delivered to you within four to six weeks.
Are there any tax consequences for being a prize winner?
Community Transit will comply with the IRS reporting requirements for prize winners. According to  IRS instructions, a Form 1099-MISC is required for any person receiving more than $600 in prizes and awards. For those prizes where there is an issue of what the actual worth of the prize is, the IRS regulations defining the fair market value of a prize will determine whether or not a 1099-MISC is filed. Recipients of prizes qualifying for a 1099-MISC must agree to provide the information necessary for the 1099-MISC in order to receive their prize; they should expect to receive their forms in time to file their appropriate tax returns. For prizes worth less than $600, it is the recipient’s responsibility to comply with all relevant IRS income reporting guidelines.
What if I drive a hybrid vehicle?
If there is more than one person in the car for the commute, then the hybrid vehicle may count as a carpool. Driving alone in a hybrid vehicle may reduce fuel usage and emissions, but does not reduce traffic congestion. Therefore, Community Transit does not recognize hybrid use alone for prize drawing eligibility.
Why are motorcycles not included as an alternative mode?
There are a number of reasons for this.
  • First, a primary goal of the program is to promote bus, carpool, vanpool, bicycling and walking to remove drive-alone trips. A motorcycle can qualify as a carpool if more than one person is riding the same cycle.
  • A second goal of the program is to encourage commuting methods that increase roadway capacity. Even given the relative size of a motorcycle to a car, there is still an issue of the number of vehicles using our county’s roadways. We believe that the best way to encourage people to use fewer vehicles overall is to encourage methods that promote personal or community connections, such as riding the bus, carpooling, vanpooling, biking or walking. 
What if I use a scooter?
Power-assisted bicycles qualify as a bicycle in this program. Motorized scooters of any type, whether meeting license requirements or not, count towards the program only when more than one person is sharing the commute, for the same reasons as listed above for motorcycles.
Are there other types of foot-powered commuting that are eligible under the “walking” category?
Yes, as long as it is a method of transportation where the foot is in contact with the ground, it is eligible in the “walking” category. This would therefore include skateboards, jogging, rollerblading and non-motorized scooters. Trips made by wheelchair are also eligible in the "walking" category, as long as the trip replaces a drive-alone vehicle trip. 
 
How do I record trips in the online calendar?
Go to the RideshareOnline.com Calendar Demonstration for a complete video demonstration of how to use your online calendar.
Resources

In addition to personalized commute assistance from a Community Transit Specialist, the following resources can help you improve your trips.

Bus
Carpool and Vanpool
  • RideshareOnline.com: Find a carpool or vanpool for your daily commute or for regional events.
Bicycling and Walking
General
  • Puget Sound Traffic Cameras: Traffic cameras for state roadways, plus information on freeway congestion, commute times, construction and closures, road conditions.