USAA Commute Profile

Ridesharing incentive package gets results
USAA Property and Casualty Insurance, which handles auto and property claims for active and retired members of the armed forces, won a Diamond Award in 1996 for its compressed workweek program. The company is being recognized this year for its commitment to ridesharing.

Representing USAA Property & Casualty and City of Federal Way: (From left to right) Chris Vernon, Jim Raymond, Sarady Long (representing Federal Way).

USAA is located on the Weyerhaeuser campus. The site has free parking and limited bus service, which makes it difficult to convince employees to share the ride to work. To promote ridesharing effectively, the company developed a generous ridesharing incentive package, which provides priority parking spaces for carpools and vanpools and monthly Commuter Bonus Plus vouchers redeemable at REI, Union 76 gas stations, Firestone Tire & Service Centers, the YMCA, Brown Bear Car Wash, and AAA. Transit riders and vanpoolers receive $25 in coupons. Carpool drivers, walkers, and bicyclists receive $20 and carpool passengers receive $5 in coupons. As a further incentive, any employee who forms a carpool or vanpool receives $30 in vouchers, and $10 in vouchers goes to an employee who finds a new carpool or vanpool rider.

Jim Raymond, employee transportation coordinator, works hard to encourage staff to share the ride to work. He meets with new hires and explains the rideshare program. In addition, throughout the year, Raymond sends out notices to employees to remind them of colleagues who live nearby and suggests they try to form a carpool or vanpool. He also coordinates his rideshare efforts with neighboring businesses, all members of the Federal Way Employers Network Group. Currently, four USAA employees ride in Weyerhaeuser vanpools, including Raymond.

Management supports ridesharing efforts
Management, both local and at headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, has been very supportive of commute trip reduction efforts. “They have terrible traffic problems in San Antonio,” explains Raymond. “They understand the problems we're facing here.” Local management also walks the talk. Three directors and two managers are members of carpools.

USAA realizes making the commute to work easier and less costly helps to retain valued employees. “It's expensive to train new people,” says Raymond. “We need employees well versed in everything from insurance to law to architecture.” The company also is committed to giving back to the community from promoting volunteerism to encouraging commute trip reduction.

The company continues to expand its compressed workweek program. Sixty-eight percent of USAA employees now work either three 12.5-hour days or four 10-hour days. Employees enjoy working the compressed schedules because the expanded weekends give them more time to be with their families. The company benefits because staff is available to customers via phone from 7:15 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday and 7 am to 5 pm on Saturday.

*Some definitions: An “ETC” is the staff-level employee transportation coordinator responsible for the daily administration of the transportation program; “PM” is the transportation program manager; and “CEO” refers to the top management-level person at the worksite. “SOV” stands for single-occupant vehicle, and “CTR” for commute trip reduction.