A state-funded program aims to reduce car dependency and encourage Chittenden County commuters to jump on the alternative transportation wagon.
The Commuter Incentive Program offers a $75 gift card for use at local establishments such as City Market or Ski Rack to anyone who is willing to skip their solo drive to work at least two days a week for six months and instead carpool, take the bus, bike or walk.
So far, 54 people have taken the bait, joining the initiative that kicked off in January, according to Phoebe Melchiskey, who manages the program.
Middle school teacher Julia Melloni signed on four weeks ago, right before the school year began at Mater Christi School in Burlington. She said she’s always tried to do her part for the environment by biking to work instead of driving when the weather is nice, but the Commuter Incentive Program pushed her to take an extra step.
Now she plans to look into walking or carpooling when the weather is not as pleasant, she said.
“I’m really concerned about global climate change, and I know my own little bike is probably not going to make a huge impact, but I do try and be a role model,” she said.
To participate in the program, applicants currently must drive to work at least two days a week, sign a contract, have their supervisor sign off on their participation, complete an initial intake program, a one-month check-in and a six-month interview.
These measures are in place to gather information and to dissuade freeloaders, Melchiskey said.
The program is the brainchild of Richard Watts, a senior lecturer at the University of Vermont who focuses on Vermont research and transportation issues.
Five years ago, Watts co-founded Sustainable Transportation Vermont, a coalition of students, advocates and transportation experts working to move Vermont’s transportation system in a more sustainable direction through research and advocacy.
In 2018, he initiated the Permit Trade-In Project, a program incentivizing University of Vermont students and faculty to give up their annual parking pass, which usually has a price tag of a few hundred dollars and commit to using the bus system, biking or walking instead.
“Years of research show us that if we want to move people out of car dependence we need to provide real alternatives and we have to price parking at its real cost,” Watts said.
After two years of running the UVM initiative, Watts decided to expand to the rest of Chittenden County and create the Community Incentive Program.
Sustainable Transportation Vermont received a $25,000 grant from the Vermont Transportation Agency’s Vermont Mobility and Transportation Innovations Grant Project, providing it with enough funding to recruit up to 100 participants and pay a part-time project manager. The program also is supported by the Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association and the Vermont Natural Resources Council.
“The vision here is that we enable more people to try other ways of getting around and build constituencies for more nonmotorized transportation,” Watts said.
To encourage buy-in, the program partnered with local businesses and offices including Hula, Beta Technologies and the Vermont Housing Finance Agency. Melchiskey expects to partner with more agencies as offices open back up.
“We’ve been encouraging staff to use alternative methods to get to work for years,” said Steve Gronlund, director of human resources at Vermont Housing Finance. “This seemed like a great opportunity to further encourage employees.”
When asked why the agency continues to urge staff to use alternative transport, Gronlund said: “You know all the regular reasons. It’s good for the environment, better for health. You can bike, walk, take the bus, and cut down on pollution and traffic.”
The agency just reopened its office Tuesday, but Gronlund said he has already spoken with people interested in signing on.
Although Melloni joined, in part, to help the environment, the gift card incentive did not hurt, she said. She chose the City Market card.
Glenn Kirby, who works in Winooski, said the gift card drew him in, too. He joined to get the Ski Rack incentive gift card, he said, and used the money to buy running clothes he now wears as he jogs on his commute.
“I alternate between running and cycling, and it’s going well,” he wrote in an email. “Commuting via running or cycling gives me more free time as it merges my fitness time with commute time.”
Kirby said he plans to continue using alternative forms of transportation to get to work even once his six-month contract with the Commuter Incentive Program expires.
