Transportation Fair to Showcase a Variety of Transit Alternatives for Hacienda Employees

By Denise Howe, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Whether you take transit or help coordinate transportation alternatives for your employees, you'll find everything you need to know about commute alternatives at the 2002 Spring Transportation Fair to be held on April 18, 2002 at the Four Points Sheraton, 5115 Hopyard Road.

The City of Pleasanton, in conjunction with Hacienda, has invited over 30 different transit and transportation vendors to the Fair. An open invitation is extended to every Pleasanton business, regardless of size or number of employees, encouraging them to attend this important event. Refreshments will be served all day and there will be valuable door prizes.

There are two parts to the event. The first portion is a special workshop for participants in Pleasanton's Commendable Commutes program. The second is an information fair open to anyone interested in learning more about commute alternatives.

At the information fair, all in one convenient place, coordinators and employees will explore and discover the advantages of alternative transportation. Transit and transportation vendors will have information about bus and rail service from neighboring counties, commuter express services, local bus service, air-quality programs, Pleasanton's Commendable Commutes program, vanpool and carpool rider and driver benefits and subsidies, hiking and biking, WageWorks and Commuter Choice, bridge toll discounts, guaranteed ride home, congestion relief, county program benefits, and more.

Companies currently enrolled in Commendable Commutes are encouraged to send transportation coordinators to the workshop from 8:30 to 10:30 am. The focus will be on helping companies and their employees with the upcoming city Employee Transportation Survey.

Commendable Commutes is a voluntary trip-reduction program that gives employers and the business community tools to help reduce traffic congestion. When employers sign up for the program, they receive help with implementation and marketing. Employee advantages include the guaranteed ride home program for using alternate transportation, bus, transit, train and vanpool options and on-site workshops.

"This is a great opportunity for coordinators to sit down with the transit vendors and learn details about the programs," said Lisa Adamos, economic development specialist for the City of Pleasanton. "In turn, they can help the company's employees choose the ease, comfort, convenience and value of getting out of their cars and into alternative commutes. We hope that when we advertise the Fair to coordinators, that they will advertise it to their employees."

From 10:30 am to 12:00 pm, coordinators from any Pleasanton company will have the opportunity to talk directly with transit vendors. Lisa says that learning more about the transit options allows the coordinators to effectively promote their company's transportation programs and encourage employees to use commute alternatives. When employees attend their session of the Fair from 12:00 to 1:30 pm, they will have the opportunity to learn about commute alternative advantages for their specific route to and from work. They will also learn about excellent vanpool programs, tax advantages for using alternative transpiration, rider incentive programs, vanpool driver programs and incentives, discounted transit and train tickets, guaranteed ride home and subsidy programs.

"Having a transportation program is definitely an important employee benefit for employers," said Lisa. "The Fair covers many types of alternatives. There will be something for everyone."

For more information, contact Lisa Adamos, Economic Development Specialist, at the City of Pleasanton, (925) 931-5039, or e-mail ladamos@ci.pleasanton.ca.us.

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