Category: Diamond Award for Organizational Leadership KeyBank, Bellevue Jim Peoples, Seattle-Cascades District President Marilyn Hansen, Retail Bank Administrative Assistant and Employee Transportation Coordinator

	Listen to one of the ads featuring this winner. (Produced and broadcast by KUOW.)
	View our online video "Stories of Success," which includes an interview with Marilyn Hansen.

Seattle to Bellevue with no increase in SOV—a KeyBank success story
KeyBank is a fixture in the Puget Sound region with bank branches in just about every neighborhood and its name on one of our local sporting arenas. But KeyBank is also a leader in its industry for providing comprehensive commute options to its employees which is why it was selected as a 2003 Diamond Award winner for Organizational Leadership.

KeyBank uses a sliding scale, based on salary, for employee commute subsidies from 70% for the lower salaried employees to 25% for those with higher salaries. Up to $60 of employees’ monthly commute expenses are reimbursed for those commuting four or more days a week via bus, rail, ferry, vanpool or carpool. Bicyclists and walkers also are eligible for a subsidy of $60 annually. Alternatively, employees can opt to receive a free FlexPass for use on Metro and Sound Transit buses. As a result, a resounding 87% of KeyBank employees regularly commute via bus. The KeyCenter building’s location directly across the street from the Bellevue Transit Center helps make the bus an easy choice for employees.

Prior to the company moving its corporate offices from downtown Seattle to Bellevue, ETC Marilyn Hansen worked with KeyBank President James Peoples and King County Metro Employer Transportation Representative Dave Hollar to discuss the impact of the move on employees’ commutes. In reviewing the options, KeyBank found that fully subsidizing FlexPasses for its employees was not only an effective solution in providing employees with a broad spectrum of commute options at the new worksite, it also would save the company thousands of dollars every year in administration costs. One additional benefit to the company is that the FlexPass subsidy has helped the bank retain and recruit good employees. "The fact that the site met goal within 18 months of moving to the new location speaks volumes about how they used their program and corporate culture to encourage HOV use similar to the level the company experienced at its downtown Seattle location," said ETR Dave Hollar.

ETC Marilyn Hansen attends Seattle and Bellevue networking meetings and transportation fairs where she frequently gets new ideas for KeyBank’s CTR program. And when she needs management approval to try something new, she always receives strong support for her efforts to assist her co-workers in easing their commutes. "Our bank’s senior officer, Jim Peoples, continually supports our program because he understands how the stress and cost of commuting can impact our employees," Hansen said.

*Some definitions: An “ETC” is the staff-level employee transportation coordinator responsible for the daily administration of the transportation program. “SOV” stands for single-occupant vehicle, and “CTR” for commute trip reduction. 

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