COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION POLICY - HR2424 (05-23-2018).PDF

MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY
Policy Number: HR2424
Policy Title:
Current Adoption
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION 05-23-2018
Date:
Current
05-23-2018
Implementation Date:
Board Agenda
Approved by: C-31-18-046-6-00
Number:
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Original Adoption
April 2004
Date:
I. PURPOSE
To encourage County employees to use alternative modes of transportation in order to reduce vehicle emissions
as well as the number of single occupant vehicles on the road by making alternative modes of transportation more
practical and convenient.
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 as well as the Flood Control
District, the Library District, and the Stadium District. This includes full and part-time regular, probationary, and
contract employees. Temporary employees are eligible at the discretion of the Appointing Authority.
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
The Board of Supervisors sets the subsidies for the County’s alternative mode of transportation programs.
Employees are limited to one commuter subsidy; currently, either the Platinum Pass or the Vanpool subsidy. All
commuter subsidies are absorbed by department budgets.
Departments are not obligated to allow employees to change their regularly scheduled working hours to
accommodate transit, carpool, or vanpool schedules.
A. 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 should not use
their Platinum Pass for personal trips outside of work hours.
1. Departments may 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.
4. Costs to replace a pass:

Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION
Current Adoption
05-23-2018
Date:
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
B. Vanpools
A vanpool in the Phoenix Metro area can request to use a Valley Metro van through a contract with Valley
Metro. Vanpool participants are eligible for a Board of Supervisors approved subsidy to defray the costs of
the monthly fare.
To receive the full monthly subsidy, County vanpool riders must ride to work in their van pool 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 volunteer 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 (hrpaydl@mail.maricopa.gov) in monthly rider reports. Prior months’
reports are due by the first business day of every month.
3. The vanpool is responsible for its own 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 what their monthly out-of-pocket costs will be,
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.
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION
Current Adoption
05-23-2018
Date:
c. Monthly fare is based on a van’s size and model as well as the daily round trip mileage, and covers
the van’s maintenance and insurance. Riders pay for gas.
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 who have not
submitted 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 vanpool members must reapply for the subsidy, or sooner if requested by the
County.
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 a 30-day notice of withdrawal.
8. Employees are eligible for a Platinum Pass 30 days after their vanpool is disbanded.
C. Carpool Parking
Many work locations have preferential parking for employees who carpool to work with one or more driving-
age individuals for at least 50% of their commute miles for at least three (3) days per week.
D. Guaranteed Emergency Ride Home
The County will pay for up to three (3) emergency taxi rides per fiscal year for employees on the day they 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 requires immediate transportation (an event that could not
be reasonably prevented such as personal, parent, spouse or child illness). Working late or extended hours
are not unforeseen emergencies.
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 cab company to arrange pickup.
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 2-4-2015 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 MM-DD-2018 Clarified and updated language (C-31-18-046-6-00).
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