COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION POLICY - HR2424 (2023-06-28).PDF
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MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY Policy Title: COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Policy Number: HR2424 Current Adoption Date: 06-28-2023 Current Implementation Date: 06-28-2023 Approved by: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Board Agenda Number: C-31-18-046-6-01 Original Adoption Date: April 2004 I. PURPOSE To encourage employees to use alternative modes of transportation to reduce vehicle emissions and the number of single-occupant vehicles on the road by making alternative modes of transportation more practical. II. AUTHORITY This Policy is authorized by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to A.R.S. §11-251. III. APPLICATION This Policy applies to all Maricopa County elected offices and appointed departments, the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, and the Maricopa County Library District (Special Districts). The Board of Supervisors is authorized to jointly adopt policies applying to the Special Districts under the Intergovernmental Agreement, C- 06-18-393-6-00, approved on April 11, 2018. IV. DEFINITIONS A. Appointing Authority: An elected official, the single administrative or executive head of a department or the designated representative authorized to act in this capacity. B. County Commuter Coordinator: An employee designated to administer the County’s Trip Reduction Program (see Maricopa County Ordinance P-7). V. POLICY A. Commuter Subsidies (e.g., Platinum Pass and Vanpool): Up to $104 per employee per month absorbed by department budgets. Employees are limited to one subsidy. B. Schedules: Departments are not obligated to allow employees to change their regularly scheduled work hours to accommodate transit, carpool, or vanpool schedules. C. Eligibility: Full and part-time regular, probationary, and contract employees. Temporary employees are eligible at the discretion of the Appointing Authority. D. Platinum Pass Employees may use their Platinum Pass to board Valley Metro buses and light rail to commute to and from work and for trips during work hours (e.g., lunch or roundtrip travel to meetings). Employees must not use their Platinum Pass for personal trips outside work hours. 1. Departments should audit billing reports to ensure proper usage. 2. Employees should immediately notify Human Resources of lost or stolen passes. 3. Employees will retain their passes when they transfer positions or departments. Policy Title: COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Policy Number: HR2424 Current Adoption Date: 06-28-2023 Page 2 of 3 4. Costs to replace a pass: a. $5.00 fee to replace the first lost or stolen pass b. $10.00 fee to replace subsequent lost or stolen passes c. No charge to replace a damaged pass as long as the old pass is returned E. Vanpools A vanpool in the Phoenix Metro area can request to use a Valley Metro van through a contract with Valley Metro. County vanpool participants are eligible for a subsidy to defray the costs of the monthly fare. County vanpool riders must ride to work in their vanpool at least 50% of their commute miles and at least, on average, three (3) days per week. Vacation days or sick days do not affect eligibility. 1. Forming a Vanpool: a. Gather at least six (6) vanpool riders (federal regulation). Each vanpool rider must complete a Vanpool Subsidy Application prior to riding in the vanpool. b. Contact the Valley Metro Van Pool Contractor to apply for participation. c. Choose a primary driver and two alternate drivers who: i. Have and maintain a valid driver’s license and driving record acceptable to Valley Metro. ii. Have at least five (5) years current, uninterrupted licensed driving experience. iii. Are twenty-five (25) years of age or older. iv. Have been issued written approval by Valley Metro to operate their vehicles. 2. Primary Drivers Must: a. Ensure that riders meet all eligibility requirements and have an application on file. b. Schedule van maintenance. c. Collect gas money from the riders. d. Fax (602-372-8722) or email (hrpayrec@maricopa.gov) in monthly rider reports. Prior months’ reports are due by the first business day of every month. 3. The vanpool sets its schedules, routes, stops, pick-up and drop-off locations, and internal van rider rules. 4. Billing and Payment: a. Each month the County submits subsidy payments to Valley Metro following receipt of the bill. If the vanpool fare is greater than the total subsidy, the balance due is the responsibility of the vanpool. b. The primary driver must inform the vanpool members of their monthly out-of-pocket costs, collect the balance due, and submit the payment to Valley Metro. Typically, the subsidy is sufficient to cover 100% of the majority of the vanpool fare. c. Monthly fare is based on a van’s size and model and the daily round trip mileage and covers the van’s maintenance and insurance. Riders pay for gas. Policy Title: COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Policy Number: HR2424 Current Adoption Date: 06-28-2023 Page 3 of 3 d. The County will not process subsidy payments unless the monthly report is received by the first business day of the month and is not responsible for late fees because of late reporting. e. The County retains the right to withhold subsidy payments for ineligible riders or riders without a Vanpool Subsidy Application. The rider report does not constitute eligibility. Ineligible riders listed on the monthly report have five business days upon County email notice to submit a Vanpool Subsidy Application. Failure to comply will result in a lost and irrevocable subsidy payment for the month. 5. Every three (3) years or as requested by the County, vanpool members must reapply for the subsidy. 6. Primary drivers must provide 30 days’ notice to the County and Valley Metro to disband a vanpool. 7. Riders must provide the County and the primary driver with a 30-day notice of withdrawal. 8. Employees are eligible for a Platinum Pass 30 days after their vanpool is disbanded. F. Carpool Parking Many work locations have preferential parking for employees who carpool to work. G. Guaranteed Emergency Ride Home The County pays for up to three (3) emergency taxi rides per fiscal year for employees who use an alternative mode of transportation to commute to work (e.g., walking, bus, biking, light rail, carpool, and vanpool) and have an unforeseen emergency that could not be reasonably prevented that requires immediate transportation (e.g., personal, parent, spouse or child illness). Working late or extended hours do not qualify. 1. Eligible employees who need an emergency ride home must: a. Obtain their supervisors’ approval to leave the work site. b. Enter their information into the Commute Options Program online tool. Once the information is entered, instructions for ordering a cab are generated online. c. Call the ride company to arrange pick up. 2. The County Commuter Coordinator reviews and submits payments monthly to the cab company and charges the costs back to the employee’s department. Revision History Version Revision Date Description of Revision 1 April 2004 Replaced Policy A1406 Guaranteed Emergency Ride Home with HR2424 2 02/04/2015 Policies HR2424 Guaranteed Emergency Ride Home and HR2425 Vanpool Subsidy were combined into the Commuter Transportation Policy. Simplified and clarified processes and added Platinum Passes and carpool parking benefits information. (C-49-15-036-6-00) 3 05/23/2018 Clarified and updated language (C-31-18-046-6-00) 4 06/28/2023 Simplified language and added the amount of the Board approved subsidy ($104 subsidy approved by Board effective 3/1/13 (C-20-13-027-2-00)) (C-31-18-046-6-01)