The goDCgo Employer Ambassadors Program seeks to recognize DC organizations for their efforts as transportation leaders. By offering transportation benefits and creative program incentives, businesses are helping to make the District the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the United States.
In order to join the program at the Bronze level, you must implement at least one of the following strategies:
In order to reach the Silver level, you must offer two or more of the following:
Install permanent display case or brochure holders Install transit screen Install bicycle racks or lockers Install shower facilities
Implement flex-time or staggered work schedule Implement compressed work week for 1-20% of employees Implement telework program with 1-20% of employees participating
Provide preferential parking for carpools/vanpools Facilitate car/vanpool formation meetings Become a Commuter Connections member and provide on-site ridematching
Establish an Employee Transportation Coordinator Supplement Guaranteed Ride Home program Host/sponsor alternative commute day or transportation fair Participate in the Capital Bikeshare Corporate Membership program
In order to reach the Gold level, you must meet the requirements of the Silver level and offer one of the following:
Telework program with more than 20% participating Compressed work week with more than 20% of employees participating
Implement a transit/vanpool benefit, SmartBenefits, or parking “cash out” program
Implement a carpool/bicycle/walk benefit
Charge a fee for parking but provide free or significantly discounted parking for carpools and vanpools
Employee shuttle to transit stations
Company vanpools for employees’ commutes to work
Comprehensive bicycle/walking program (showers, bike racks, lockers, financial incentives) Implement parking fee
In order to reach the Platinum level, you must meet the requirements of the Silver and Gold level, and offer one additional Gold level benefit.
goDCgo will create a customized commuter survey for your organization and analyze the data to produce recommendations. Collecting baseline data about your employees’ commutes can help create the best commuter program for your organization. With data in hand, your organization can make an easier case for implementing new commuter benefits.
Transportation is always changing in DC. Keep your employees up to date on all the latest options as well as tips and tricks for sustainable commuting with complimentary services from goDCgo.
For more information about these services, reach out to info@goDCgo.com or 202-299-2186
goDCgo hosts monthly webinars and virtual office hours to provide support for employers looking to enhance their commuter benefits programs. These events provide an opportunity to engage directly with a Client Services Manager. Past webinar topics include:
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive invitations to these webinars and virtual office hours.
Airports Council International – North America
American Wind Energy Association
Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
International Food Policy Research Institute
Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, P.C.
Securing America’s Future Energy
Lyft, a transportation network company, encourages their employees to commute sustainably by offering pre-tax benefits, discounted Lyft shared rides, and credits for using e-scooters. Employees highlighted that Lyft’s commuter benefits program gave them access to multiple modes, allowing them to leave their cars at home.
DC Dentist, an eco-friendly dentist office, recently enhanced their commuter benefits program by offering employees pre-tax commuter benefits along with a $100 transit subsidy. To encourage staff and patients to bike to their location, they pushed to get two bike racks installed this spring.
Glen’s Garden Market, a market and cafe that is committed to sustainability and supporting local food businesses, encourages bike commuting by providing showers, lockers, and secured bike racks for employees. They also avidly support DC’s bicycling community with a bike club and sponsorship of a women’s bicycle racing team.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has an active, employee-focused, bike-to-work community. Their Bike-to-Work Taskforce offers support to employees looking to begin bike commuting. Onsite facilities like secured bike racks, a fix-it station, and access to showers and lockers also makes it easy for employees to commute sustainably.
Washington Gas boasts a data-driven telework program. To be eligible to telework, employees must receive approval by a supervisor and share their quarterly commuting data. From this data, Washington Gas calculated that by participating in telework, employees eliminated more than 57,000 trips, avoided driving 1,560,000 miles and saved more than 70,000 gallons of fuel since 2010.
Verizon, a telecommunications company, strives to be creative and engaging with their commuter benefits programs. They hold commuter challenges, which foster competition between employees, and provide rewards to employees who commute sustainably. Their Bike-to-Work platform allows employees to measure their environmental impact by logging their ride to work and they receive a ‘Green Team’ jersey after logging 500 miles.
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters actively supports their employees who rideshare by hosting an internal ride-matching database, inviting vanpool companies to their transportation fairs, giving preferential parking to carpools and vanpools, and having vanpool members sit on their Transportation Advisory Committee. With this kind of support, it’s no wonder 30% of their employees choose to rideshare.
GMMB, an advertising, political consulting, and advocacy firm, not only pays for the entire Capital Bikeshare annual membership for their employees, but they also cover any usage fees when employees take longer rides while commuting. In 2018, GMMB employees used Capital Bikeshare for a total of 1,506 trips spanning 1,186 hours!
Miriam’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit organization working to end chronic homelessness in the District, offers access to Capital Bikeshare to provide their clients with a low-cost means to commute and get around the city. Since the launch of their program, they have strongly encouraged their clients to use bikeshare and, as a result, their members took a collective 26,322 trips last year.
WMATA SmartBenefits allows employers to administer commuter benefits at no cost to their organization, which results in a tax savings for employees and the employer. SmartBenefits is a crucial tool in helping employers begin to offer commuter benefits to their employees. The SmartBenefits team continuously works to improve the system to make it more user-friendly and are very responsive to the needs of employers.
The Employer Ambassadors Program is a criterion based recognition program for DC organizations to showcase their commitment to sustainable transportation by promoting and providing alternative travel options and commuter benefits to employees.
The Employer Ambassadors Awards Ceremony is an annual event held in the spring to honor DC employers who have gone above and beyond to promote sustainable transportation and continue to build interest in the use of alternative travel options through their exceptional commuter benefits programs.
Completed nominations are thoroughly evaluated against other DC employers by a selection committee of transportation industry thought leaders.
Awarded organizations receive:
To be eligible for a goDCgo Ambassador Award, all organizations must:
goDCgo is available to assist with any additional questions about the Ambassador Awards and transportation resources. Please call 202.299.2186 or email info@goDCgo.com.
