San Francisco recently became the first city to mandate tax-free transportation benefit plans for companies with more than 20 workers. Currently unbeknown to many employers, the move may cause other cities to catch on.
"Only 53 percent of employers are aware of tax-free commuter benefits, and of those, only 46 percent offer the benefit to employees, according to one survey.
Another national survey found that only 17 percent of companies with standard benefits programs provided the transit option.
Many companies believe they are too small to offer the program or don't feel they have the resources or expertise to deal with the paperwork, experts say.
The RTA says the transit benefit program has grown steadily, and the agency anticipates a surge in interest, said Phillip Shayne, the RTA's director of regional services.
Fall is the traditional time for benefit program open enrollments, and fear of another round of gas price increases probably will prompt more employees to take advantage of the transit option, Shayne said."
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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