2008 Woodie Awards
BSU ranked top workplace for commuters
RENEE DAVIES AND TABITHA KEILY
Arbiter Staff
Issue date: 7/30/08 Section: News
Boise State is a king among college campuses . At least the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation think so.
Boise State has qualified as one of the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters,’ a recognition that is given out by the federal government based on certain levels of mass and alternative transportation programs and the level of participation in these programs.
This recognition means a higher level of appeal for Boise State when recruiting new faculty, staff and students.
It also means Boise State can use the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ logo.
Boise State Parking and Transportation Services decided to work toward this recognition two years ago when they set goals of refocusing not only on parking services, but transportation as well. Maintaining this goal could help Boise State capture future employees.
According to Jared Everett, executive director of financial planning and safety for Parking and Transportation Services, 57 percent of employees look for alternative transportation when selecting a place to work.
John Gardner, associate vice president of Energy Research Policy and Sustainability, said a little more than 10,000 vehicles come to Boise State every day during the normal school year. One of Parking Services’ goals is to lower this number by reducing the number of cars coming to campus with only one person.
Nicole Bandas, assistant director of Operations for Parking and Transportation, said one of the main programs that helped increase participation in alternative transportation is the university funded bus route 45 instated in August 2007.
“The increase of ridership from fall ’06 to fall ’07 was up 40 percent,” Bandas said.
This route goes from Boise State’s west campus (located in Nampa) to the main campus in Boise.
With plans to further reduce the amount of single passenger vehicles, Boise State Parking plans to make alternative forms of transportation even easier in the future.
Some of these alternative transportation ideas include carpooling and van pooling.
This is per the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ application, which requires the business to guarantee that within 18 months of acceptance 14 percent of employees will not be driving to work alone.
With $2 million in grant money, Boise State Parking plans to build a transit center located on the west side of the Student Union Building that faces University Drive.
The transit center will be an indoor facility where students, faculty and staff can wait for bus connections.
They plan to have comfortable seating, wi-fi, restrooms, kiosks and possibly food services available inside the transit center. Construction should begin within six months to a year.
Boise State already offers a free bussing pass to students and faculty.
Parking Services also has plans for another off-site park-and-ride in the future, which will further help to reduce the number of vehicle miles per day.
Ryan Wilkins, business management and human resources major at Boise State, commutes from southwest Boise. It takes him about 20-25 minutes to get to campus.
“With the price of gas it’s pretty costly for me to drive my truck,” he said.
Wilkins was unaware of most of the programs offered to commuters, but said that he would be interested in learning more about them.
“If people knew about stuff like that they would definitely use them,” he said.
For more information on alternative transportation visit boisestate.edu/parking.
Qualifications for Best Workplaces for Commuters
All information is from boisestate.edu/parking and the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ application available at bwc.gov.
Must have one primary benefit:
At least $30 per month toward a transit pass or vanpool pass (or the full cost of a pass if it is less than $30) to each employee who commutes using transit or a vanpool.
Must have three supporting benefits:
Parking at park-and-ride lots or vanpool staging areas.
At park-and-ride lots commuters can park and then wait for their bus, vanpool or carpool. For park-and-ride locations see commuteride.com/ParkRideLots.aspx
Preferred parking for carpools and vanpools.
Reduced parking costs for carpools and vanpools.
Employer-supported vanpools- provided by an outside organization.
Secure bicycle parking, showers and lockers.
Lunchtime shuttle.
Other Provisions:
Employees have access to an Emergency Ride Home program.
In case of emergency or under circumstances when an employee or student misses their ride home, they may call a taxi and be reimbursed for up to six taxi fares, or $300, whichever comes first. For more information and to sign up visit commuteride.com/CommuterIncentives/.
Boise State has qualified as one of the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters,’ a recognition that is given out by the federal government based on certain levels of mass and alternative transportation programs and the level of participation in these programs.
This recognition means a higher level of appeal for Boise State when recruiting new faculty, staff and students.
It also means Boise State can use the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ logo.
Boise State Parking and Transportation Services decided to work toward this recognition two years ago when they set goals of refocusing not only on parking services, but transportation as well. Maintaining this goal could help Boise State capture future employees.
According to Jared Everett, executive director of financial planning and safety for Parking and Transportation Services, 57 percent of employees look for alternative transportation when selecting a place to work.
John Gardner, associate vice president of Energy Research Policy and Sustainability, said a little more than 10,000 vehicles come to Boise State every day during the normal school year. One of Parking Services’ goals is to lower this number by reducing the number of cars coming to campus with only one person.
Nicole Bandas, assistant director of Operations for Parking and Transportation, said one of the main programs that helped increase participation in alternative transportation is the university funded bus route 45 instated in August 2007.
“The increase of ridership from fall ’06 to fall ’07 was up 40 percent,” Bandas said.
This route goes from Boise State’s west campus (located in Nampa) to the main campus in Boise.
With plans to further reduce the amount of single passenger vehicles, Boise State Parking plans to make alternative forms of transportation even easier in the future.
Some of these alternative transportation ideas include carpooling and van pooling.
This is per the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ application, which requires the business to guarantee that within 18 months of acceptance 14 percent of employees will not be driving to work alone.
With $2 million in grant money, Boise State Parking plans to build a transit center located on the west side of the Student Union Building that faces University Drive.
The transit center will be an indoor facility where students, faculty and staff can wait for bus connections.
They plan to have comfortable seating, wi-fi, restrooms, kiosks and possibly food services available inside the transit center. Construction should begin within six months to a year.
Boise State already offers a free bussing pass to students and faculty.
Parking Services also has plans for another off-site park-and-ride in the future, which will further help to reduce the number of vehicle miles per day.
Ryan Wilkins, business management and human resources major at Boise State, commutes from southwest Boise. It takes him about 20-25 minutes to get to campus.
“With the price of gas it’s pretty costly for me to drive my truck,” he said.
Wilkins was unaware of most of the programs offered to commuters, but said that he would be interested in learning more about them.
“If people knew about stuff like that they would definitely use them,” he said.
For more information on alternative transportation visit boisestate.edu/parking.
Qualifications for Best Workplaces for Commuters
All information is from boisestate.edu/parking and the ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ application available at bwc.gov.
Must have one primary benefit:
At least $30 per month toward a transit pass or vanpool pass (or the full cost of a pass if it is less than $30) to each employee who commutes using transit or a vanpool.
Must have three supporting benefits:
Parking at park-and-ride lots or vanpool staging areas.
At park-and-ride lots commuters can park and then wait for their bus, vanpool or carpool. For park-and-ride locations see commuteride.com/ParkRideLots.aspx
Preferred parking for carpools and vanpools.
Reduced parking costs for carpools and vanpools.
Employer-supported vanpools- provided by an outside organization.
Secure bicycle parking, showers and lockers.
Lunchtime shuttle.
Other Provisions:
Employees have access to an Emergency Ride Home program.
In case of emergency or under circumstances when an employee or student misses their ride home, they may call a taxi and be reimbursed for up to six taxi fares, or $300, whichever comes first. For more information and to sign up visit commuteride.com/CommuterIncentives/.
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