Harvard Wins “Commuter Choice” Honor

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Harvard last week as one of the most commuter-friendly employers in New England under a new EPA program.

Harvard was among 16 employers to receive “Commuter Choice Employer” recognition as part of the EPA’s Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative (CCLI), which encourages employers to include commuting incentives as part of their employee benefits.

Although Harvard had already met many of the program’s requirements when it was approached by the EPA last year, the university had to make minor adjustments in order to qualify under the CCLI.

Van pools, shuttle services to transit stations, new bicycle storage facilities, ride-sharing, and guaranteed rides home to car poolers in case of emergency are among the expanded commuting benefits Harvard now offers to its staff, according to Holly Hogle, manager of Harvard’s Commuter Choice Program (HCCP).

Harvard has also committed over $100,000 annually to provide a 40 percent subsidy for the mass transit expenses of its nearly 12,000 employees.

Harvard’s proactive response to the issue of commuting has earned praise from the EPA, which considers mass commuting a crucial step in conserving the environment, according to Peyton Fleming, an EPA spokesperson.

“To get companies to do [commuter benefit programs] is not only a boost for worker morale, it is a boost for the environment,” Fleming said.

Harvard’s participation, especially, has been a huge step-forward for the year-old EPA program.

“[In Harvard] you not only get a large institution with thousands of employees, but you get a name known all around the world,” Fleming said.

In addition, Harvard has recently established a commuting web site—www.commuterchoice.harvard.edu—that matches employees interested in carpooling or van pooling on the basis of geography.

The web site also offers a “bike pool” matching service that helps people arrange bike rides to work with fellow cyclists.

“The web site is a great tool in our instant gratification society. People can find a ride to work in seconds.” Hogle said.

Although Harvard modeled its web site on similar sites, the HCCP web site offers a number of unusual features.

For example, the site recently added a commute calculator—designed by Benjamin H. Yolken ’02—which allows employees to compare the cost of driving to work alone against carpooling and mass transit according to their commuting distance.

While the web site targets the commuting novice, HCCP also recognizes seasoned commuters.

The May 15 Bicycle Breakfast, for example, recognizes faculty and staff who bike to work—provided they bring their helmets to the breakfast as proof.

Other local companies who have earned the EPA “Commuter Choice Employer” distinction include UMass Amherst, Applied Geographics in Boston, and Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge.