Office Hours May 2020 – Community Conversation on COVID-19

These are unprecedented times that have forced all of us to adjust to rapidly changing conditions. With social isolation and shelter in place orders in effect, many in the TDM industry have shifted their focus from standard commuting issues to communicating important information and incentivizing telecommuting. For our part, we want to share ways in which we can assist you in getting important information out to your commuters. They are as follows:

1. Site-wide alert banners
2. Informational dashboard widgets
3. Bulk email tools
4. Disabling specific modes in trip planning

For any assistance with these options, please submit a ticket to our helpdesk and we will work with you to make any necessary adjustments.

One of the strengths of the RideAmigos community is the creativity and thoughtfulness of our Partners and their willingness to collaborate and share ideas with each other. We opened up these Office Hours to our Partners so that they could share how they are adapting to the changes brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are their responses:

Kim Reynolds – Commute Options (Bend, OR)

To continue the use of their commuter point programs, Commute Options is considering raising the number of points needed to earn rewards due to the increase in telecommuting.

Tracy Ellis – Lane Transit District (Eugene, OR)

Valley Vanpool is working with their vanpool vendor, Enterprise, to address COVID-19 challenges with their vanpoolers. They are allowing the vanpool to either “park” for the duration and forbear lease payments, or if vanpoolers are still operating but have lost members, they are providing an ad hoc subsidy to sustain them through the reduction in commuters.

Kim Comstock – Commute.org (San Mateo County, CA)

Commute.org is postponing its Smart Challenge from spring to the fall. Similarly, their Bike to Work Day will likely be postponed to a later date when workers are commuting again. To maintain engagement, they are planning a light promotion for telecommuting during spring. Additionally, they have created this awesome infographic (pdf) to help ease the adjustment into telecommuting.

David Sorrell – University of California Berkeley

Universities in the Bay Area have gone to online learning (and the Bay Area is in shelter in place through Early April), meaning traffic on and near campus has been greatly reduced. Notices on UC Berkeley’s website will reflect the changes in parking/carpool programs, and links to 511 Bay Area have been added for service status.

Hannah Mullin – Alta Planning (Oregon)

The Get There Oregon site has been updated with a banner pointing people to the CDC, and have shared Valley Vanpool’s update (mentioned above) as well. Alta is also planning ahead for the end of the COVID-19 isolation period. When people start returning to work, they intend to talk about how Get There can play a role in recovery efforts and getting people back into commuting.

Stephanie Millar – Oregon Department of Transportation

The Oregon Department of Transportation has contributed to the COVID-19 response effort by replacing their usual ads with ones focused on tips for successful teleworking.

Yvette Davis – SJCOG (San Joaquin, CA)

SJCOG is considering ways in which they can promote active transportation (walking and biking) within their community while maintaining adherence to the CDC’s recommendations. To further maintain engagement, they are also looking into rewarding users for teleworking during the isolation period.

Thank you to all of our Partners who contributed, and please stay safe!