As a regular bus commuter, I notice a distinct drop-off in ridership during the winter months. While it can get quite cold waiting for the bus, I do enjoy knowing that once it arrives, I can warm up rather quickly and read for a bit or check my emails. In contrast, if I drive during the winter, I still get cold while sitting idly in my car waiting for it to warm up, and I usually have to spend a few minutes scraping the windshield. Then throughout my drive I’m blasting the defroster and hoping the few inches of visibility through my side mirrors and back windows (still mostly foggy due to my impatience) aren’t preventing me from seeing another car I may be about to hit. In summary, transit commutes during the winter can be much less stressful – and depending on your driving skill (mine admittedly being questionable at times) – safer!
During the winter months, when work tends to be slower, is a great time to hold a short program or offer incentives to keep your employees interested in taking transit. For example, you can offer weekly $5 Starbucks gift cards to employees who take transit (or bike, walk or carpool) at least twice a week. Or, you can hold a month long contest and award the employees who commuted the most by transit with prizes such as gift cards or other perks. If you don’t have a budget for an incentive, information can go a long way. Educating your employees about the environmental and health benefits of commuting to work other than driving alone (and how they can avoid scraping their windshield and enjoy less of a crowd on the train and bus) can be a great motivator!
Tarryn Lee at goDCgo
