8 Benefits of Offering an Employee Shuttle Program

Offering an employee shuttle program can increase your staff’s productivity and cut costs. And it’s as easy as making a call to BlackBus, Los Angeles’ and San Francisco’s #1 shuttle service.

Hiring a company shuttle for your employees may seem like another expense, but organizing transport for your staff can actually cut costs and improve employee satisfaction.

For example, did you know that the federal government offers tax incentives per employee for offering commuting options to your staff?

And how much more productive will your mornings be if your employees aren’t arriving stressed out (or late) due to another slog through traffic?

Businesses around the country are enjoying greater workplace efficiency and wellbeing with employee shuttle programs. And thanks to professional transport services like BlackBus, it’s easier than ever to hire a shuttle for your staff.

What is an Employee Shuttle Program?

Remember riding the yellow bus to school when you were young? Employee shuttle programs are the professional equivalent to this.

A shuttle picks your employees up at designated pickup points each day and brings them to the office. At the end of the day, the shuttle takes them back to the pickup point.

Unlike yellow school buses, you can decide where the pickup points are, making it easy to accommodate everyone in the office. You can also alter transport times with a call or a click in case of early meetings or late evenings.

Additionally, shuttles are equipped with comfortable and spacious seating, air conditioning, amenities, and work stations so your staff are prepared to hit the ground running each day.

Benefits of Offering an Employee Shuttle Program

The benefits of offering an employee shuttle program go beyond making your staff’s commute more manageable. You can also save on costs, reap tax benefits, and more.

1. Save on Milage Expenses and Parking Costs

The cost of expensing mileage can add up quick, and as the cost of living is driving many employees further away from industrial and commercial areas, these costs are only going to grow over time.

Investing in property for parking or renting parking spaces for your staff on an annual basis can cause costs to skyrocket as California property rates continue to inflate.

Providing a shuttle for your staff will all but eliminate mileage expenses and allow you to cut down to just a few parking spaces for your entire office. Does your business own a lot or a garage? Rent your unused spaces to nearby offices for up to $4000 annually per space.

2. Facilitate Government Compliance

California requires businesses with over 100 employees to offer Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) plans. These programs are aimed at reducing traffic and improving air quality, but they can create a lot of red tape for your company.

An employee shuttle program is a singular solution that will allow your business to satisfy its compliance measures.

Transport Tip: Are you a growing business curious about CTR compliance? Call BlackBus today and we’ll answer your questions about remaining compliant and avoiding costly penalties.

3. Boost Productivity and Punctuality

California traffic is not only a major stressor for your employees, but it also causes late arrivals that hurt your bottom line.

Did you know that each late employee costs you about $500 per year? And late arrivals cost the economy about $14 billion annually!

Shuttle programs all but eliminate tardiness. All of your employees will arrive at the office at the same time each day. This has the added benefit of decreasing distractions caused by latecomers and increasing corporate cohesiveness.

Shuttles can also improve productivity by reducing stress from having to navigate bad traffic. BlackBus shuttles are equipped with modern comforts, amenities, and workstations so that your employees can relax, brainstorm, or even have meetings before they even step foot in the office.

4. Receive Tax Benefits

The government may require you to offer commuting options to your employees, but it also rewards you for doing so. The federal government allows for up to $130 per month per employee of tax-free transportation benefits. That’s a lot of tax-free money if you’re transporting a bus-full of employees.

In California, compliant employers can save nearly 8% on payroll taxes, too.

When all of these savings are bundled, they are likely to more than cover the cost of hiring a professional shuttle service.

5. Keep Employees Safe

Your employees’ safety is a top priority. After all, your employees are what make your company function. If one of them is harmed, your company will suffer.

A shuttle service drastically reduces the risk of accident or injury on the road. How drastically? A recent study found that taking a transit bus was 60 times safer than commuting by car.

In the life of your company and the generations of employees that pass through, there are guaranteed to be a slew of fender benders and maybe even a few serious accidents if all of your employees are commuting for hours every day.

This risk can be greatly mitigated with an employee shuttle program, ensuring the health and safety of your staff and your business.

6. Recruitment Incentive

How often does the prospect of a stressful commute drive potential talent from your company? Instead of offering costly mileage expensing or a company car to sweeten the deal, you can incentivize with a comfortable employee shuttle.

Employees that don’t enjoy driving or are environmentally minded will likely be keen on this offer. You can even set a shuttle pickup point near the prospective employee’s home to offer door-to-door transport each day.

Who could say no to that?

7. Reduce Traffic and Your Carbon Footprint

Modern consumers expect your business to make environmentally responsible choices, but not all of these need to be reflected in your products and services. Offering an employee shuttle program is a good way to cut your carbon footprint by reducing emissions.

With just one employee shuttle transport, you could report a reduction in emissions of over 200 metric tons per year.

Not only that, but you’ll also be helping to reduce California’s growing traffic problem. Look at how just one shuttle can improve traffic and make your city a better place to live and work.

When you offer an employee shuttle program, you can feel great about keeping the Earth green and your customers can feel even better about choosing your product or service.

8. Improve employee satisfaction

As we said before, your employees make your company great. When they are satisfied with their jobs, they are motivated to do great work. When they aren’t, overall performance lags.

A 2015 study on this topic reviewed employee satisfaction in 475 companies and found “a direct and positive association between employee satisfaction and firm performance.”

When your employees are offered a benefit that greatly reduces their stress levels and increases cohesiveness with their fellow employees, you can expect a boost in employee satisfaction in as little as a few weeks. An employee shuttle can accomplish all of this without company picnics or taking time out of your day for team-building. According to the Journal of Corporate Finance, even a small boost in employee satisfaction can boost market value by a massive 7.9%.

Find Out More About Employee Shuttle Programs. It’s Free.

Interested in learning more about employee shuttles? There are far more options than you might think and at price points affordable for businesses big and small.

BlackBus is Los Angeles’ and San Francisco’s #1 shuttle service. Our modern fleet is comprised of employee shuttle buses, vans, and SUVs that are all 2014 models or later, and all of our vehicles are driven by trained and licensed professionals in business attire.

With a BlackBus employee shuttle, you get guaranteed:

• Flexibility: Change of plans? Give our 24/7 command center a call and we’ll reroute or reschedule.
• Reliability: We’ll always be there for you and your staff.
• Punctuality: Our state-of-the-art traffic solutions center is monitored 24/7 to ensure your staff are always on time.
• Customer Service: We’re here to help you with scheduling, booking, compliance, and more.
• Decorum: We strive to make you look good with sparkling-clean vehicles and smart drivers.
• Simplicity: We do the driving so your staff can get to work. It’s that simple.

For more information about the benefits of offering an employee shuttle program to your staff, call or email BlackBus today for your free inquiry. We look forward to driving your business to success.