POLICY RE HR2424, COMMUTER OPTIONS POLICY.PDF

MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY
Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption x-x-xxxx
Date:
Board Agenda
Approved by: Number:
NOT YET APPROVED Original Adoption xx-xx-xxxx
Date:
I. PURPOSE
To encourage County employees to use alternative modes of transportation, to reduce
vehicle emissions and to reduce the number of single occupant vehicles (SOVs) on the
road by making alternative modes of transportation more practical and convenient.
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Appointing Authority: An elected official, the single administrative or executive
head of a department/special district or the designated representative authorized to
act in this capacity.
B. Carpool Commuter: A County employee who commutes with one or more driving-
age individuals traveling at least half the total trip distance to work.
C. Carpool Parking: Preferential parking offered to an employee who carpools with
one or more commuters, who all work within a four mile radius of downtown
Phoenix, and who travel together at least three days per week.
D. County Commuter Transportation Coordinator: Employee designated to
administer the County’s Trip Reduction Program (see Maricopa County Ordinance
P-7).
E. Department/Special District (Department): A division of the County including
Special Districts. Special Districts are the Flood Control District of Maricopa County,
Maricopa County Library District and the Maricopa County Stadium District.
F. Department Parking Liaison: The individual designated by the department
Appointing Authority to administer the carpool parking program by acting as liaison
between Protective Services and department employees.
G. Department Commuter Transportation Liaison: Employee designated by the
department to liaison with the County Commuter Transportation Coordinator and
Protective Services.
H. Designated Vanpool Vendor (Vendor): The vendor the County contracts with to
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption x-x-xxxx
Date:
provide vans for County Vanpools. The vendor the County currently contracts with is
Vride.
I. Platinum Pass (Pass): A card that allows the holder to travel on Valley Metro transit
services including the bus and light rail.
J. Rideshare Commuter: An employee who uses an alternative mode of
transportation, including walking, bus, biking, light rail, carpool, and vanpool, to
travel to work and who reduces the number of single occupancy vehicle trips.
K. Vanpool: A group of employees who ride together in a van to the same workplace at
least 50% of their commute miles and at least three days per week.
III. POLICY
The Board of Supervisors sets the subsidies for the County’s alternative mode of
transportation programs, including but not limited to the Platinum Pass Program and the
Vanpool Program. Employees are limited to one commuter subsidy; either the Platinum
Pass or the Vanpool subsidy. All commuter subsidies are absorbed by Department
budgets.
A. Platinum Pass Program (Pass)
1. Human Resources Payroll is responsible for administering the Platinum Pass
(Pass) Program with the assistance of the County Commuter Transportation
Coordinator.
2. Pass Eligibility: Full-time and part-time regular, probationary and contract
employees are eligible for the Pass. Temporary employees are eligible at the
discretion of the Appointing Authority. Outside vendors/contractors and staff
employed by employment agencies are not eligible.
3. Employees obtain their Employee ID and apply for a Pass by accessing the
application on the EBC Commute Options Program webpage. Human Resources
processes the application and the Passes are picked up and distributed by
authorized department staff.
4. Employees may use the Pass to board Valley Metro Transit (bus and lightrail) to
commute to and from work and for trips during work hours (i.e., lunch and/or
roundtrip travel to meetings). Other personal trips outside of work hours are not
covered because they do not reduce commuter miles traveled to the worksite.
No other transit system is authorized for subsidy benefits.
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption x-x-xxxx
Date:
5. Departments are not obligated to allow employees to change their regularly
scheduled working hours to accommodate transit schedules.
6. Departments may audit billing reports to ensure proper usage of the Pass.
7. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors sets the subsidy rates up to 100% of
the fare costs charged by Valley Metro.
8. If a Pass is lost or stolen, the employee should immediately notify Human
Resources to deactivate the Pass.
9. Replacement Passes: A replacement Pass can be obtained by faxing or hand-
carrying an application to the Human Resources Department, Payroll & Records
Division. Walk-in service is limited to replacement Passes. Charges for
replacement passes are as follows:
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 Pass is returned
10. If an employee transfers to another position and/or department in the County, the
employee will retain their pass. It is not necessary to reapply for a Pass for this
reason. Once Human Resources receives transfer paperwork, the department
and accounting information is updated.
B. Carpooling
1. Preferential parking is offered at many work locations for Carpool Commuters.
2. Carpool Parking Eligibility (downtown location): Individuals must meet the Pass
eligibility requirements detailed in § III.A.2. of this policy to be eligible for Carpool
Parking. In addition, Carpool Commuters must carpool with one or more
commuters, who all work within a four mile radius of downtown Phoenix and who
travel together at least three days per week.
3. Department Parking Liaisons have information and applications for Carpool
Parking outside the downtown Phoenix area.
C. Vanpool Program
A Vanpool that is organized in the Phoenix Metro area can request to use a van
provided by Valley Metro through a contract with Vride.
1. Vanpool Program participants are eligible for a Board of Supervisors approved
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption x-x-xxxx
Date:
subsidy to defray the costs of the monthly fare for the program.
2. Employees are limited to one commuter subsidy: either the Pass or the Vanpool
subsidy. If a current Pass holder chooses to enroll in the Vanpool program, their
Pass will be deactivated.
3. Vanpool eligibility: Individuals must meet the Pass eligibility requirements
detailed in § III.A.2. of this policy to participate in the Vanpool Program. In
addition, Vanpool riders must ride in the van at least 3 days per week, on
average, to receive the full monthly subsidy. Vacation days or sick days do not
affect eligibility. However, employees who are on extended leave and do not ride
at least 12 days during the month are not eligible for a subsidy. Valley Metro,
through a contract with the Designated Vanpool Vendor (Vendor), Vride, supplies
the vans based on a month-to-month contract.
4. Steps to form a Vanpool:
a. Gather at least six riders to form a Vanpool (federal regulation).
b. Contact Vride to apply for participation in the Vanpool Program.
c. Choose a volunteer primary driver and two alternate drivers who:
i. Have and maintain a valid driver’s license
ii. Have a minimum of five (5) years current, uninterrupted licensed driving
experience
iii. Are twenty-five (25) years of age or older
iv. Have and maintain a driving record acceptable to Vride
v. Have been issued written approval by Vride to operate their vehicles
d. Each Vanpool participant must complete a Vanpool Subsidy Application
available on the Commute Options section of the EBC. Completed
applications must be faxed to the County Commuter Transportation
Coordinator and submitted prior to riding in the Vanpool. Primary drivers must
ensure that riders have an application on file.
5. The primary driver is responsible for faxing or emailing monthly rider reports to
Vride, scheduling van maintenance and collecting gas money from the riders.
Monthly reports are due by the first business day of every month for the prior
month and are sent directly to Vride by email (monthlyreportsphx@vride.com) or
by fax (623-931-5429). It is the requirement of the primary driver to ensure that
all reported active riders meet eligibility requirements listed in III.C.3.
6. Maricopa County retains the right to withhold subsidy payments for ineligible
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption x-x-xxxx
Date:
riders or riders who have not submitted a Vanpool Subsidy Application
regardless of activity reported on the monthly rider form. 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 as described in §III.C.4.d. Failure to comply will result in a lost and
irrevocable subsidy payment for the month.
7. The Vanpool group is responsible for its own schedules, routes, stops, pick-up
and drop-off locations and internal van rider rules. Neither Vride nor the County
will be involved in developing or regulating those rules.
8. Departments are not obligated to allow employees to change their regularly
scheduled working hours to accommodate vanpool schedules.
9. Billing and Payment:
a. The County receives a monthly bill from Vride, calculates the employee
subsidies for each van and submits a payment to Vride. If the Vanpool fare is
greater than the total subsidy paid by the County, the balance due is the
responsibility of the Vanpool, and it is the primary driver’s responsibility to
communicate to the vanpool members what their monthly out-of-pocket costs
will be. The primary driver collects the balance due and submits the payment
directly to Vride. For the majority of Vanpools, the County’s subsidy is
sufficient to cover 100% of the Vanpool fare.
b. The monthly fare is based on the size of the van, the model (passenger vs.
luxury) and the daily round trip mileage. The fare covers the use of the van,
on-site maintenance and insurance. The riders cover the cost of gas.
c. The County will not process the subsidy payment unless the monthly report is
received by the first business day of the month. The County is not responsible
for Vride imposed late fees because of late reporting.
d. Please note that primary drivers are subject to all collection stipulations
contained in the vanpool driver application with Vride.
10. Every three years the vanpool members must reapply for the subsidy on a
schedule set by the County Commuter Transportation Coordinator.
11. The primary driver must provide 30 days notice to Maricopa County and Vride to
disband the vanpool. Riders are also required to provide the County and the
primary driver a 30-day notice of withdrawal via the application form.
12. Employees must wait 30 days after the vanpool is disbanded to become
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption x-x-xxxx
Date:
eligible for a Platinum Pass.
D. Guaranteed Emergency Ride Home Program (GERHP)
1. The GERH Program provides a 100% subsidy for the cost of taxi service for
Rideshare Commuters who experience an unforeseen emergency that requires
immediate transportation.
2. GERHP eligibility: Rideshare Commuters are eligible to participate in GERHP.
This program is funded by County departments and is available to employees
only on the day they use an alternative mode of transportation to commute to
work and need to leave work due to an unforeseen emergency.
3. An unforeseen emergency is an event or circumstance that could not be
reasonably prevented that requires immediate attention (e.g., personal, parent,
spouse or child illness). Working late or extended hours are not unforeseen
emergencies.
4. An employee who needs to participate in the GERHP shall:
a. Obtain the supervisor’s approval to leave the work site.
b. Enter their employee information at the time the service is needed via 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. The employee must provide the cab
company with a complete address for the pickup and drop-off locations.
5. On a monthly basis, the County Commuter Transportation Coordinator reviews
and submits payment to the cab company for the trip cost and charges the costs
back to the employee’s department.
6. An employee may use the GERHP service up to three times per fiscal year.
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2424
COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION Current Adoption
x-x-xxxx
Date:
Revision History
Version Revision Date Description of Revision
1 Initial version
2 April 2004 Replaces A1406 (GERHP)
Title was changed from Guaranteed Emergency Ride Home Program
to Commuter Transportation. Changes were made to simplify and
clarify processes for participation in commuter programs, in
particular for the vanpool program, and to update definitions. The
former contents of Policy HR2424 Guaranteed Emergency Ride
Home Program (GERHP) (last updated in April 2004) and Policy
HR2425 Vanpool Subsidy Program (last updated in March 2005)
3 xx xxx 2015 was combined. Policy regarding the Platinum Pass was added, and it
was clarified that passes are for commuter purposes only. Policy
regarding Carpool parking benefits was also added. Specific
eligibility requirements were laid out for the Platinum Pass program,
Carpool parking benefits, the Vanpool program, and GERHP. It was
clarified that commuter subsidies are absorbed by Department
budgets. The policy now states that eligibility for GERHP no longer
requires annual registration. Changes also strengthen the process for
vanpool reporting and vanpool compliance standards.
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