King County Commute Partnership Program named finalist for prestigious national award

King County Executive Ron Sims today congratulated his Metro Transit Commute Partnerships Program staff in the County’s Department of Transportation for becoming a finalist in the prestigious Innovations in American Government competition, an awards program of the Ford Foundation and Harvard University.

“Our Commute Partnerships Program has tackled one of our top regional needs - mobility - creatively and with efficient use of public resources. The program’s innovative products and services are now used by 425 local employers, reducing drive-alone commuting by their employees by up to 40 percent,” said Sims. “That is an astounding result. Equally impressive is how much bang the program gets for the public buck. Last year $600,000 in County funds brought 3.4 million private dollars to the table for commute options. I congratulate our talented staff for being recognized as one of the top 25 government programs of any kind in the entire nation.”

The competition selects programs that have taken a fresh approach to a problem in government. Metro’s program was culled from over 1300 applicants nationwide. Finalists receive a $20,000 Ford Foundation grant to communicate their program’s success as a model for other governments and to help restore public trust in government.

For the last phase of the competition in October, representatives of Metro’s Commute Partnerships staff will present their story before a national selection committee composed of leaders in government, public-affairs educators, and journalists. The committee, chaired by David Gergen, editor of US News & World Report, will question the staff members about the program’s methods and achievements. Norm Rice, former Seattle mayor, also serves on the committee. Following the presentations, ten winners will be announced. Winners receive an additional $80,000 to further communicate their programs.

King County’s Wildlife program was honored earlier this year as a semi-finalist in the competition. In 1995, the County’s “Four to One” Program to preserve public open space was a finalist.

Long a leader in alternative-commute incentive programs, in 1996 King County Metro took a bolder step to reduce commute trips. Rather than rely on strict regulatory approaches used in other areas with limited success, the County instead launched Commute Partnerships in collaboration with employers. Public “partnership funds,” authorized under the County’s Six Year Transit Development Plan, are used to leverage outside investment in expanded commute options. With these funds the County shares employers’ initial contribution in employee subsidies for transit, vanpooling, carpooling, bicycling and walking. The short-term stimulus of public funds is yielding long-term investment by employers and a change in travel choice by commuters.

Under FlexPass, for example, an employer pays Metro up front for a year’s worth of transit trips taken by its current bus-riding employees. In return Metro provides the employer with unlimited bus access for every employee. Metro in effect offers its system capacity for that year, banking on the notion that the program will generate new users over time from whom Metro will recoup revenue in the future. Partnership funds provide first-year incentives. Employees' transit use grows an average of about 90 percent in the first year their company participates in the FlexPass program.

Besides bus access, FlexPasses can include other Commute Partnership "products" such as emergency rides home, vanpool fare subsidies, merchant vouchers that reward carpooling walking and biking, discounted parking for carpools and vanpools, and shuttle buses.

With the success of private employer programs, Metro has extended its partnerships to other organizations. For example, the County partners with social service agencies for its award-winning JobSeeker Transportation program for welfare-to-work travel. And FlexCar, Seattle’s car-sharing venture, was launched in partnership with a private company. FlexCar now has over 700 members and cars located in Queen Anne, Capitol Hill and Belltown.

In 1999, partnerships with 425 King County employers reduced drive-alone commuting at their work sites by eight to 40 percent. Participating employers include Amazon.com, Costco headquarters in Issaquah, Nintendo in Redmond, and Weyerhaeuser in Federal Way. Katy Taylor, employee transportation services manager for Weyerhaeuser Company, says of her company’s remarkable drop of 20 percentage points in drive-alone commuting, "King County Metro was vital in helping us achieve our commute goals while overcoming the many obstacles facing suburban employers. Through creative approaches and innovative local partnerships, they make it happen!"

Other partners include:

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Since starting its FlexPass program in 1996, 1,900 eligible employees have decreased the drive-alone rate to the Hutch from 48 percent to 34 percent. Transit use grew from 9 to 19 percent in that same time. Partnership funds provided startup incentives.

• Boeing. In 1998, King County and Boeing agreed to demonstrate a new call center approach for Home Free Guarantee (emergency ride home) service for all Boeing employees in the Puget Sound region who use alternative commutes. King County and Boeing share costs over the first three years, with the public contribution gradually declining as the service logistics become established. More workers use alternative commutes when they know there's another way home "just in case."

• CH2M Hill. CH2M Hill began its FlexPass program in 1996. By 1999, 45 percent of CH2M Hill's 280 downtown Bellevue employees rode the bus to work, and only 37 percent drove alone. Partnership funds provided startup incentives.

Associated press releases:
"Innovative government programs honored, will vie for $100,000 grants"
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"King County partnerships ease the commute" (739 KB .rtf)

Updated: Aug. 24, 2000