Pierce Transit and Sound Transit are teaming up to offer an incentive to employees in the downtown Tacoma area to help increase transit ridership and vanpool use, and to help relieve on-street parking woes.
In cooperation with downtown businesses, a matching subsidy will be provided for the purchase of a monthly transit pass or vanpool fare.
Its easy, and a Pierce Transit representative will help employers get started. Theyll help create materials to spread the word at each company.
Heres how it works: When an employer provides a new subsidy or increases the amount already being provided to the employee, Pierce Transit/Sound Transit will match the amount dollar-for-dollar up to the price of the pass.
This special offer is good for any consecutive three-month period, starting this month and continuing until December of next year. The matching dollars will be reimbursed to the company at the end of their three-month term.
As an example: For a monthly $45 Puget Pass, if the employee receives a new $20 subsidy from their employer, Pierce Transit/Sound Transit will match it at $20, so the pass would cost the employee only $5.
This program is a way for employers to offer a low cost employee benefit, help save taxes, and alleviate company on-site parking limitations.
The intent of the matching subsidy program is to encourage downtown Tacoma employers to continue their portion of the subsidy after the three-month trial period, as well as providing an incentive to employees to try riding the bus or joining a vanpool to get to and from work.
To find out more about this program or to schedule an appointment with your company, please call Pierce Transit Employer Program Specialist Duane Perez at 253/589-6373 or via e-mail at: dperez@piercetransit.org.
