Links to the vendor that's currently providing the service to Metrolink. Please see their eTRAC program. If we can couple this type of incentive ($30 to $40 per month) with the parking cash out bonus ($50 to $60 per month), it could potentially mean $80 to $100 dollars a month for an employee towards the purchase of a monthly transit pass.  http://www.benefitresource.com/Employers/etrac-section-132-benefits.htm

Additional info on the enabling legislation: http://www.benico.com/Alphabetized%20Files/qrs%20files/Section%20132%20Overview.htm

http://partageznouvelles.com/releases/2006/12/prweb487721.htm
This could be a win-win for everyone and a compelling financial incentive for would be transit riders.

Seems like a definite cost savings idea. This would be a great pilot for the wilshire center, and also the city. Also, if the city (and private sector employers) charged actual market rates for parking, that could have a significant impact-a disincentive to drive, and a funding source for larger cash outs. DWP charges something like $85 month for covered employee parking-but charges the public something like $15/day for its Hope street lot. Parking across the street (under the Chandler)is probably more. At the city, there might be union resistance to an outside firm managing the rideshare program. BUT if the cost savings could be dedicated to increasing transit reimbursements, maybe not.

Here's how the City transit program works. I have to purchase my monthly MTA (red line) pass at the transit store in the LA mall. Monthly passes are sold through various outlets, including grocery stores, but these have been sold out every time I tried. I can't buy a monthly pass at the stations; can't buy the new plastic TAP card there either; can't use credit cards (none of that makes any sense). At the end of each month, I complete a hard copy form, attach proof of purchase, and submit to Personnel for reimbursement. The city USED TO require a supervisor's signature for this form. The city pays $50/month, which is taxed, so Personnel has to input my transit usage info into some database that's accessible to the Controller's office - for use in calculating paychecks. The date by which you need to submit the form varies each month -so some people miss the deadline and therefore the reimbursement. My MTA pass used to be $52, but went up to $62 last year, which is a significant increase, but the reimbursement remained the same. There appear to be several people in the Personnel office who work mostly on employee rideshare programs, and related overhead has got to be significant. (I received a gift card - can't remember the amount - when I first signed up). As a regular transit user, I'm entitled to park free 2-3 times/month in a city-owned lot (for those times I need to travel by car). But personnel doesn't add your name to the parking lot list for at least 2-3 months after you've begun using transit.

The city's rideshare program manager last year asked for funds to increase the reimbursement, but was told money wasn't available, given the budget shortfall. I also suggested this as a climate change meausure quite a while ago, and believe funds to increase the reimbursement amount could be made available-by increasing the fees charged for City-owned lots that employees use. (Using an outside vendor to decrease program costs would also suffice.) Most of city lots charge at least 40% less than market rates. Perhaps a sliding scale-with more senior employees paying more.

The city also has an executive fleet-some managers receive city-provided cars, including some models that are available only in V6 or V8. The City of Chicago requires such executive managers to share 50% of the fueling, insurance & other costs of cars they receive, so there's a built in incentive to choose fuel efficient cars.

FYI: Only 10% of City employees use the Rideshare program. Most city emloyees live outside LA, so this could be a function of time, convenience, and other issues. But I believe the car and van pool programs for public & private sector could be beefed up. There are lots of employees who drive mail trucks, refuse collection and other types of delivery trucks, all traveling into the city to report to work-usually early in the morning. Couldn't they be paid to drive pool vans for other employers, to help get private cars off the roads?

Parking Cash Out, or AB2109, is a State law requiring employers of fifty or more employees who lease their parking, and subsidize any part of their employee parking to offer their employees the opportunity to give up their parking space and rideshare to work instead. In return for giving up their parking space, the employer pays the employee the cost of the parking space.