Since moving to its new headquarters downtown, GTECH Corp. has become a leader among Providence businesses trying to encourage employees to carpool or use public transportation.
In January, the company rolled out a parking cash-out program with help from the R.I. Public Transit Authority. The deal provides employees with a free RIPTA monthly pass for each month they give up their parking space downtown.
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“We rolled out the program because of the steep gas prices,” said Kathy Cardoso, senior benefits analyst in the human resources department at GTECH, “and to ease the transition from when we moved buildings.”
Cardoso said RIPTA representatives visited with employees after the move to discuss various routes, bus schedules and park-and-ride locations that would bring employees from West Greenwich, where the company relocated from, to Providence.
Fewer than 10 employees have registered for the parking cash-out program, Cardoso said, adding that she thinks the lack of participation has to do with needing flexible transportation to pick up children and such.
But Cardoso said she has noticed more employees are looking into taking the bus, because they are tired of paying high gas prices, of waiting in traffic and of the wear and tear on their cars.
In the future RIPTA expects more companies to offer parking cash-out programs, partly because they are required to by state law.
Legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2004 requires companies with 50 or more employees that are located within a quarter mile of RIPTA transit service and provide subsidized parking to offer the cash-out program, funded by the employer.
Tim McCormick, manager of planning at RIPTA and manager of Commuter Resource R.I., said GTECH is the only company compliant with the legislation “that we know of.”
That, however, is not entirely the fault of the businesses, he said, because it has taken RIPTA a few years to get organized and start pushing the program through custom-printed materials.
Also, he said, companies that lease parking spaces are not required to offer the program until their lease is renewed. That way they aren’t paying for leased spots for their employees and paying the $45 per month for the RIPTA monthly passes.
“When their lease comes to term they can cut back [parking spaces] based on the participation rate,” he said.
In addition to the parking cash-out program, GTECH takes advantage of other incentives facilitated by RIPTA such as the pre-tax income incentive that allows employees to purchase monthly passes or RIPTA tickets and then deduct the purchase price from their pre-tax income.
About 35 companies utilize the incentive for their employees, McCormick said. They include Bank of America, Batchelor Frechette McCrory Michael & Co., Citizens Bank, Fidelity Investments, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Hinckley Allen & Snyder and Amica Mutual Insurance Co., which pays $15 toward the cost of RIPTA tickets and passes.
“Typically they’re going to be downtown companies,” he said. “You don’t see companies in Warwick taking an interest because they have private parking.”
GTECH also utilizes carpooling incentives offered through Commuter Resource R.I., an organization co-sponsored by the R.I. Department of Transportation and funded by the Federal Highway Administration in an effort to improve commutes.
About 280 people, not cars, are registered car pooling commuters with Commuter Resource R.I., McCormick said. The distinction enables them to pay only $2.50 per day at the Providence Place parking garage if two people carpool together. Parking costs $1.25 per day if three people ride together, and 65 cents if four people ride together.
“We have 500 spots there [for the program],” McCormick said. “And anyone who carpools in the state can tell us and we’ll give them two free $100 taxi vouchers” in case they ever get stranded and need a ride somewhere.
GTECH provides employees with a commuter page on its intranet site to help those who want to carpool find rides with people, Cardoso said.
“A lot of folks have done that,” she said.
But more people could use public transportation to get to work, McCormick said. And more employers could offer incentives, especially state and city government.
“One really important thing to note is that if employees are provided with free parking, as the city and state do, we get very little [public] transit [use],” he said. “It tips the playing field toward driving because [companies] don’t give an incentive to take transit.”
R.I. Public Transportation Authority information, including RIPTA bus schedules, is available by calling 728-9400 or visiting ripta.com.
