MTC's new partnership program helps big employers shift workers' commute choices

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) launched last week MTC SHIFT, a new program for partnering with major employers to improve peak-period traffic flows on select Bay Area freeways. 

MTC will fund up to $1.9 million in grants to help equip employers with software from platform vendors Luum, RideAmigos or RideShark to manage commute-benefit incentives, carpool and vanpool programs, parking-management strategies and other congestion-relief tools. 

MTC SHIFT aims to attract employers with 3,000 or more workers to test strategies for spurring the formation of carpools or other shared-use commute modes to reduce solo vehicle trips on Bay Area toll bridges and other key freeway corridors. This aligns with the goals of the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program, which encourages shared-use alternatives to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease traffic congestion.

Targeted employers include those whose workers commute to work via the San Francisco-Oakland Bay; San Mateo-Hayward; Dumbarton and Richmond-San Rafael bridges, or along Interstate 80 in Alameda and Contra Costa counties; Interstate 880 in Alameda and Santa Clara counties; U.S. 101 and Interstate 280 in San Francisco; U.S. 101 in San Mateo County; and State Route 237 in Santa Clara County. 

Employers who participate in MTC SHIFT can qualify for funding to cover up to 75 percent of the setup and three-year subscription costs for commute-management platforms offered by Luum, RideAmigos or RideShark and covering as many as 3,000 employees each. These platforms offer various features to administer parking-management strategies, integrate with third-party systems to manage commute benefits and incentives and provide performance data to measure changes in workers’ drive-alone rates.

The deadline to apply for MTC SHIFT funding is March 24.