Supporting Low-Wage Workers

Low–wage workers make up a major portion of the United States workforce. Fifty-three million people, or 44 percent of all workers ages 18 to 64 in the United States, earn low hourly wages. According to the Brookings Institute, a low wage is $17.26/hour, which working full-time equates to roughly $36,000/year. These are often shift-based workers employed at grocery stores, restaurants, and retail establishments. 

Kiplinger, USA Today, Bungalow, and many other rating organizations rank Washington, DC as one of the most expensive cities to live in the US. This high cost of living has a huge impact on the choices low–wage workers make with regards to where and how they live and how they travel throughout DC and the larger region. 

Last year, goDCgo conducted a focus group for employers of low–wage and shift-based workers to better understand how we can support these employees’ needs. 

Our key findings included:

1. Many employers of shift-based workers noted that their employees’ shifts begin or end after public transportation shuts down for the day.
2. Numerous low-wage and shift-based employees commute from locations outside of the District. The further these employees lived from the city, the less likely they were to take public transit to work.
3. A large portion of employees within this group did not participate in pre-tax commuter benefits. 
4. Language barriers were a major concern for employers looking to communicate with their employees about transportation. 
5. Many employers were not aware of whether or not cost was a barrier to non-drive-alone transportation modes for employees. 

These findings may look bleak, but don’t fret! There are many ways you can support your low–wage and shift-based workers. We’ve compiled a list of resources and services, ranging from free to paid, to help you find the perfect way to support your low–wage and shift-based employees.  

Custom Commuter Surveys 

Knowledge is power. The first step in supporting your employees is to find out what struggles they are facing and what they need. You can do this easily by working with goDCgo to create a custom commute survey. These surveys are designed to help employers discover commute behaviors and trends among staff. Reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more and get started.  

Pre-Tax Benefits 

Employees have the option to set aside up to $325 per month in pre-tax dollars from their paycheck for their transit and vanpool expenses. By doing so, taxable income is reduced, which translates to a savings of up to 40 percent on daily commute costs for your employees and payroll tax savings for the organization. This can be set up for free on the employer end through WMATA’s SmartBenefits program.  

Once you have pre-tax commuter benefits set up, you can promote enrollment at your workplace by distributing our pre-tax benefits announcement (English / Spanish) and infographic (English / Spanish) to your employees. 

Note: If you are a DC employer with 20 or more covered employees, you must offer pre-tax commuter benefits, a transit subsidy, or an employer-provided transportation service under the DC Commuter Benefits Law.  

24/7 Bus Service 

To support late night and early morning essential workers, WMATA offers 24/7 service and midnight to 4am service on several bus routes. Share WMATA’s 24/7 Bus Map with your employees to help them get around after typical service hours.

Additionally, customers traveling between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. may request “Courtesy Stops” between designated bus stops to deboard closer to their destination. 

Capital Bikeshare Corporate Membership 

Employees who commute during times when public transportation is closed may benefit from utilizing Capital Bikeshare (CaBi). While Metrorail and other public transit options have a closing time, CaBi is open 24 hours a day. Their corporate program may be a great fit for your organization; with CaBi Corporate, employers can provide their employees with free or partially subsidized Capital Bikeshare annual memberships (valued at $120). 

If you’re interested in CaBi Corporate but not sure it’s right for your workplace, goDCgo’s Try CaBi program may be a great place to start. The Try CaBi program allows employers to gauge their employees’ interest in the benefit by offering a free 30-day CaBi trial at their workplace. After the 30-day period, goDCgo meets with the employer to help them determine whether CaBi Corporate is the right fit. Fill out the interest form to get started. 

Guaranteed Ride Home 

Several employers in our focus group cited transit reliability (delays, cancellations, and buses not showing up) as a barrier to their employees’ commutes. That’s why resources like Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) are so important. GRH provides commuters who carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, or take transit to work with a free and reliable ride home when unexpected circumstances arrive. Encourage your employees to sign up for GRH to give them peace of mind and confidence when traveling via public transit. 

Rideshare Programs 

Carpooling, vanpooling, and slugging are all modes of ridesharing that reduce traffic on the road, lessen carbon emissions, and allow employees to commute sustainably without using public transportation. Employees who don’t live near public transit stops, work late night and early morning hours, or are hesitant about public transit’s reliability may be receptive to sharing the ride with their colleagues. Download goDCgo’s Ridesharing Toolkit to learn how you can promote and facilitate ridesharing at your workplace. 

Transit Discount Programs 

If you find that cost is a barrier to your employees’ sustainable transportation use, there are numerous resources that allow income-eligible District residents to receive transportation discounts. goDCgo’s Everyone, Let’s Go Packet serves as a guide to affordable and accessible sustainable transportation in the District. Download the packet and share it with your employees to help make their commutes more affordable. 

Subsidize Employees’ Transportation Costs 

As an employer, you can devise an incentive program or offer transit subsidies to your employees. Programs vary based on organizational and employee needs. Schedule a meeting with our employer team to talk about your options.  

To learn more about commuter solutions and how goDCgo can assist your organization, please contact us at [email protected].