Harvard nabs commuter award

Harvard’s expansive commuting and alternative transportation benefits have once again received national recognition. On January 16, 2014, Harvard was one of only ten universities to receive the Race to Excellence Gold award from the Best Workplaces for Commuters program at the University of Southern Florida National Center for Transit Research. The awards recognize organizations who have taken exemplary steps to offer transportation options such as vanpool and transit benefits or telework and compressed workweek for their employees.

“The annual Race to Excellence provides national recognition for Universities who offer high level commuter benefits,” said Julie Bond, NCTR’s national program manager for Best Workplaces for Commuters. “Offering commuter benefits is a win-win situation for employees who change their commuting habits to save time, money and stress.”

Harvard’s CommuterChoice program provides discounts, partnerships and events that give faculty, staff and students the tools to reduce emissions and lead a healthier lifestyle by taking advantage of a wide range of transportation options including transit, bicycling, walking and carpooling.

The most popular commuting benefit is the 50% discount for MBTA passes for all benefits-eligible faculty and staff. Harvard’s partnership with Zipcar provides access to over 32 shared vehicles, including hybrids, parked on campus for a deeply discounted rate. Harvard is also major supporter of the Hubway regional bike share program – supporting the installation of 12 stations in Cambridge and Boston, and providing discounted membership to all Harvard affiliates. And the University’s partnership with Zimride provides a social carpooling and ridesharing network for the Harvard community.