The many benefits from working and living at Hacienda include ready access to public transportation, transit tools, and commuter programs that help make it easier to get to and from work. Nearby public transportation includes the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station at Hacienda, the Altamont Corridor Express rail service, and the Wheels bus Service that runs throughout the Tri-Valley. One popular tool for individual drivers and public transit users alike is the award-winning 511 service created by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the agency responsible for transportation planning, financing, and coordination for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

The 511 one-stop phone and web resource offers up-to-the-minute traffic, transit, carpool, vanpool, and bicycling information for those who visit www.511.org or simply dial 5-1-1 within the Bay Area. The free service, which was established in December 2012, is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week from anywhere in the Bay Area. If you prefer not to call, the mobile responsive 511.org website can be used on smartphones and tablets as well as computers.

Travel Tools

Dialing the 511 service provides transportation information via a state-of-the-art speech recognition system that allows you to find what you need without pressing a button. Users can simply say "Departure Times," "Public Transportation," "Traffic Conditions," or "What are my choices?" to get started. Callers also have access to additional information as well as free call transfers to transit programs such as Clipper, FasTrak, public transit, paratransit agency call centers, and more.

For example, a driver who has a non-emergency problem such as a flat tire, a stalled car, or empty fuel tank can dial 5-1-1 and say "Freeway Assist" to get help. The call will be transferred to a center that determines the location of the motorist, and provides roadside assistance services. On standard business days, during the peak commute times of 6 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 7 pm, Bay Area Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) tow truck drivers aid stranded motorists by changing flat tires, starting dead batteries, refilling radiators and providing a gallon of fuel when needed, according to FSP officials. There is no charge for these services. If an FSP operator cannot get a vehicle to start, it is towed off the freeway to the nearest California Highway Patrol-identified safe location. If drivers experience such problems during non-commute times, Freeway Assist will connect them to aid services at standard rates.

The 511 website also offers a host of resources. For example, users who select "Map Options" on the homepage map can see traffic speeds, incidents, and construction, along with transit stops, park-and-ride locations, bikeshare stations, and more. The 511 service integrates data from state highway, transportation, and construction agencies, such as CalTrans and the California Highway Patrol, into a cohesive, unified presentation. "These agencies are the best at reliably reporting their delays and alerts in a timely manner to the public so our data reflects the most accurate conditions," according to Alysha Nachtigall, Web Program Manager for MTC.

Hacienda's Commuter Resource Center, which can be accessed at www.hacienda.org/amenities/employees-residents/commute-solutions, is another useful transit tool. This custom online service allows users to plan their ideal commute by combining the most up-to-date information about commute modes as well as providing knowledge about a range of programs that help make a commute to or from Hacienda more efficient, more productive, and less expensive.

Commuter Programs

Hundreds of employees drive alone to Hacienda every day. Those commuters can benefit from joining a ridesharing program, which reduces the expense, congestion, and pollution created by single-occupant vehicles and gives them access to traffic lanes reserved for high-occupancy vehicles. Vanpooling and carpooling or car sharing are both options for Hacienda employees.

Vanpooling is ideal for commuters who want more stability in their rideshare arrangement and who go to or leave work at the same time each day. The 511 service has several options when it comes to vanpooling, from matching a person's commute with an existing vanpool to connecting commuters who want to  start a new vanpool to the Commute with Enterprise program, which can offset travel costs of up to $350 per month.

In the State of California, companies with at least 50 full-time employees are legally required to offer at least one commuter benefit to their employees. Vanpools qualify, and they can benefit even smaller employers. Commute with Enterprise partners with Bay Area transportation agencies, most notably Bay Area Vanpool Program operator MTC, and works with employers to create commute solutions that improve recruiting, retention, and employee engagement to drive productivity while lowering costs and environmental impact. Commute with Enterprise began in 1995.

To improve car-sharing opportunities, last year MTC developed a new partnership with Commute.org, which operates in San Mateo County; the Napa Valley Transportation Authority; the Solano Transportation Authority; the Sonoma County Transportation Authority; and the Transportation Authority of Marin. "The six agencies, which each operate commuter programs in their jurisdictions, integrated their commuter platforms to advance shared goals of reducing traffic congestion and curbing greenhouse gas emissions," according to MTC officials. The partnership "expands ride-match opportunities and customer support, particularly for those commuting across county lines."

Thanks to this partnership, commuters who access information from one agency have the choice to see information from all relevant agencies through a single user account. That allows commuters to "expand their carpool match search and learn about all the commuter rewards that may fit their travel pattern," officials say. "This solution best serves commuters who want to find carpool partners," according to Barbara Laurenson, MTC Principal Program Coordinator.

To participate, commuters should register with Merge, the free ride-matching service created to help drivers and riders form ongoing commuter carpools. "If you drive to work on a regular basis, sign up to find passengers and enjoy the benefits of HOV or express lanes, share the costs of driving, and enjoy the company," say MTC officials. "If you don't like driving, want to limit your driving, or don't have a car, sign up to find a driver. Carpool matching works when there is a balance between commuters who want to ride and who want to drive." Merge.org is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese.To learn more and register, please visit www.merge.511.org/#.

For more information about BART, please visit www.bart.gov.

For more information about Altamont Corridor Express, please visit www.acerail.com.

For more information about the Wheels bus service, please visit www.wheelsbus.com.

For more information about the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, please visit www.mtc.ca.gov.

For more information about 511.org, please visit www.511.org.

For more information about Hacienda's Commuter Resource Center, please visit www.hacienda.org/amenities/employees-residents/commute-solutions.

For information about the Bay Area Vanpool Program, please visit www.511.org/vanpool.

For information about Bay Area vanpool rewards by county, please visit www.511.org/vanpool/rewards.

For more information about Commute with Enterprise, please visit www.commutewithenterprise.com.

For more information about Merge.org and carpooling, please visit www.merge.511.org/#