A partnership with BACS can help employers save money by eliminating transportation-related problems that employees may have. By working with company employees to help them set up carpools and vanpools, BACS can help employers - Recruit qualified employees Retain employees, especially in the wake of a company move Cope with limited parking spaces Save money by offering tax incentives Reduce tardiness Ease relocation difficulties Receive publicity for taking care of your employees BACS works with employers and their employees in many ways, all under the general program title of Employee Commute Assistance (ECA). There is a wide range of possible activities that a work site can use to promote commute alternatives, many of which BACS will perform at no charge, with very minimal company involvement. A zip code analysis can be generated for your company to visually depict from where your work force travels. This is an effective tool for commute option planning and BACS will gladly provide this service at your request. After the map is created, a meeting is scheduled to discuss the map and determine which commute options would be most appropriate for the employees. Contact a BACS marketing specialist at 800-998-RIDE for more details. Employee Focus Groups Our staff will facilitate focus groups of your employees at no charge to determine their interest in commute options. They will determine the best way to communicate the commute options program to employees at the work site. Employee Commute Assistance (ECA) Program The (ECA) Program encourages use of the bus, vanpooling, carpooling, biking, walking, teleworking and alternative work hour programs in commuting to and from work. Range of Possible Activities 1. Sharing Information with Employees       Existing Employees Pass on information several times per year through:    Transportation displays in lobbies, cafeterias etc.    Presentations by BACS to employees during work hours    Payroll stuffers    Posters/flyers    E-mail    Newsletter articles Establish transportation bulletin boards in visible locations to explain commute options, Emergency Ride Home program, advertise carpools and vanpools seeking riders Commuter Choices Week (CCW) (annual event)       New Employees Provide commute information (BACS New Job brochure) to all new employees at orientation 2. External Marketing to Customers Include alternative transportation information in customer bills 3. Facilities Related Dedicated parking for carpools and vanpools Install bike racks Provide shower facilities for bicyclists and walkers 4. Upper Management Support CEO sets example by using a commute option during CCW or at other times Allow BACS to make presentation to department heads to explain programs Letter /memo from management supporting commute options Subsidize transit and vanpool fares (tax-free) or allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to purchase passes Offer incentives such as time off, gift coupons, etc. 5. First Steps Appoint a contact person Let BACS create a Zip Code map of employee home locations Complete a Company Profile Determine company's level of commitment to the ECA program (which programs it wants to promote, and means of promoting) COMMUTER CHOICE - Transportation Benefit Program Employers can offer their employees a tax-free benefit. On June 9, 1998, President Clinton signed TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. It is the largest highway and mass transit bill in history, totaling almost $218 billion over six years. Provisions within the act encourage employers to subsidize transit and vanpooling. Employers may provide workers with up to $115 per month in tax-free transit and vanpool benefits in 2007. According to Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2007-45 (November 5, 2007), for taxable years beginning in 2008, the monthly limitation under Section 132(f)(2)(A) Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for vanpools (commuter highway vehicles) and transit passes is $115 (up from $110 in 2007) The monthly limitation under Section 132(f)(2)(B) regarding the fringe benefit exclusion amount for qualified parking is $215 (up from $210 in 2007). Commuters can receive both the transit and parking benefits (i.e., up to $330 per month). Employers can allow employees to use pretax dollars to pay for transit passes, vanpool fares and parking. These new limits are found under section 132(f) "Qualified Transportation Fringe". Legislation Releasing Employers From Liability 768.091 Employer liability limits; ridesharing (1) No employer shall be liable for injuries or damages sustained by operators, passengers, or other persons resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle while being used in a ridesharing arrangement between a place of residence and a place of employment or termini near such places; nor shall such employer be liable for injuries or damages sustained to operators, passengers, or other persons because such employer provides information or incentives to, or otherwise encourages, employees to participate in ridesharing arrangements. However, this section does not apply to motor vehicles owned or leased by an employer nor to acts by an employee within the scope of employment as defined in subsection (2). (2) For purposes or ridesharing, employment shall be deemed to commence when an employee arrives at the employer's place of employment to report for work and to terminate when the employee leaves the employer's place of employment, excluding areas not under the control of the employer. However, an employee shall be deemed to be within the course of employment when the employee is engaged in the performance of duties assigned or directed by the employer, or acting in the furtherance of the business of the employer, irrespective of location.