VITAL COMMUNITIES
Smart Commute for Workplaces
Vital Communities has for years helped employers lower the costs of commuting to work. Our goal is to reduce the number of people driving alone and:
- Reduce the costs and hassles associated with employee parking
- Make commuting to work a more affordable and enjoyable experience in the Upper Valley
- Promote sustainability within the workplace
- Improve traffic and parking conditions in major employment centers
How We Can Help
What is Smart Commute?
Smart Commute creates a tailored commuting program designed to meet your workplace’s goals and match your employees’ interests. Starting with a short, online survey, we establish baseline data on commuting habits, develop a sustainable commuting plan, and work with you to implement it.
Project Deliverables
- Training of an in-house transportation coordinator
- Personalized commuting plan
- Consulting on commuter benefits packages
- Tracking of emissions reductions and cost savings
- Employee events and contests
Is it Affordable?
Vital Communities offers Smart Commute at no cost thanks to the support of the Vermont Agency of Transportation and our many member organizations and individual donors.
Contact us by email or call Bethany at 802.291.9100 x111 to get your workplace involved.
Commuting Benefits for Employees
Preferred Carpool Parking
Want to reward employees for saving precious parking spaces? Give carpoolers a space close to the entrance. Show your employees, customers, and partners your support for smart commuting. At about $50 per sign, preferred carpool parking is an affordable incentive.
Per Diem Benefit
Want to give your employees the freedom to choose from a variety of options? A per diem benefit of $2-$3 per day can encourage employees to try new options and help them with any new costs, such as bike helmets or transit passes. Or allow commuters to trade in “commuter points” for time off.
Transit Reimbursement
Advance Transit provides free service in the central towns of the Upper Valley, while Stagecoach and Connecticut River Transit offer low fares for long-distance commuter routes. As an employer, you can show your support for transit by purchasing passes for employees or reimbursing them for fares. Plus, employees can deduct up to $260 per month pre-tax for this employee benefit!
According to the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), the 2018 tax law preserves the commuter benefit. However, a section of the law does eliminate the ability of employers to write-off subsidized parking and transit costs and the bicycle benefit. But, ACT does not predict the tax law will have a major effect on employer-provided transit benefit programs across the country—read their analysis here.
Promote Biking & Walking
Provide bike racks and basic maintenance tools, such as air pumps, Allen wrenches, and spare inner tubes for employee use. Existing wellness programs offer good opportunities to promote biking and walking. Some workplaces also hold drawings for walking shoes, bike helmets, bike lights, and other fun gear.
Success Stories
Lend Your Voice to Local/National Commute Survey
The commutes of many Upper Valley residents have changed significantly due to COVID-19, with many shifting to telecommuting. Now that workplaces are s [...]
Y’all Curbed the Car!
On Friday, May 18, the Upper Valley celebrated its newest holiday: Curb the Car Day.
Riffing off National Bike to Work Day, Curb the Car Day embra [...]
Your Bus in Real-Time.
Not sure when and where to catch Advance Transit or if the bus is on time? Download the Advance Transit Real Time App or check the Where’s My Bus? f [...]
Bike to Work Day at Dartmouth College
Bethany and I arrived bright and early at the Hop at Dartmouth College Friday, May 19, to greet employees and students who arrived that morning on two [...]
Dirty Hands, Clean Bikes
I had a lot of fun teaching a Basic Bike Maintenance workshop at the Upper Valley Haven on April 29, ably assisted by Lisa from the Haven!
A doze [...]
Spring Into Bike Riding Season…
...with practical skills training to get you riding more!
What is Everyday Bicycling?
It’s using your bike for those everyday trips that we all ma [...]
More Bus Service for the Bradford Area and I-91
Exciting new bus service improvements from our partner, Stagecoach Transportation Services!
Expanded RIVER ROUTE (Wells River-Newbury-Bradford-Fa [...]
Office Bike Share
When Vital Communities staff expressed interest in cutting down on car trips to meetings, Transportation Program Manager Aaron Brown found a way to [...]
Your Input Needed – Stagecoach Bus River Route
Do you ride Stagecoach’s River Route? Or would you like to?
Stagecoach is improving efficiency and increasing options on the River Route Bus Ser [...]
Gear Up for Everyday Bicycling
Do you want to bike more? Ready to take the next step, but not quite sure where to start? Vital Communities can help! In just one short hour, parti [...]
Participating Workplaces
* indicates TMA membership
Vital Communities Program News
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Theater + Pandemic: Four Upper Valley Theaters' Stories
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Newly Increased Rebates for Home Weatherization
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Pick Your Own is OPEN ♥
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Welcome 31 New Upper Valley Change-makers
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Quest to Refresh Challenge!
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Family Project: Write a Quest for your House!
Over these past few weeks I have experienced waves of anxiety and sadness, and at the same time such gratitude. I can’t imagine going through this crisis in any other part of the world. The ...more
TLC 4WARD Crowdfunding for Businesses
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A Letter To Our Upper Valley Schools
I hope this note finds you all healthy and adjusting to the routines of remote learning and teaching. I know my family and I are starting to feel a rhythm in our days and finding ourselves to be ...more
Donation Platform for UV Businesses
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Give to the Businesses You Love!
Wendell Berry once said that by choosing to support a local business in your community, you're essentially telling that business owner, "I want you to exist. I acknowledge that you and I are neighbors and ...more
Five Inspiring Stories
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13th Annual Roundtable - September 15
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Efficient Heating in Vermont
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Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead
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Staff
Ana Mejia
Climate Projects Coordinator
Transportation, Energy
Transportation, Energy
— Ana Mejia, Climate Projects Coordinator
Ana Mejia is the Climate Projects Coordinator at Vital Communities. She is a Southern California native and first arrived to the Upper Valley in 2018. Ana received her Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and her Master’s in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, where she wrote her thesis on solar home affordability and energy efficiency programs for low income families. When she is not actively working towards creating sustainable communities, Ana enjoys swimming, cross-country skiing, birding, and trying out new dessert recipes with her KitchenAid mixer.
Bethany Fleishman
Transportation Program Manager
Transportation
Transportation
— Bethany Fleishman, Transportation Program Manager
Bethany Fleishman was born at the old Mary Hitchcock hospital in Hanover, N.H., grew up in West Hartford, Vt., and now lives in Hartford Village, where she can see the White River and the trains from her window. She has a biology degree from St. Lawrence University and has worked in public health outreach, as a line cook in San Francisco, a pastry chef in Hanover, and as a member of the Town of Hartford Selectboard. She serves on the board of directors for both Advance Transit and Upper Valley CarShare and is a lifelong bike commuter.
