Employer Services Grant recipient profile
Cash and front-row parking woo three-person carpools at Costco

Commuter Challenge, in partnership with federal, state and local governments, has awarded King and Snohomish County employers over $717,000 in grant funds to implement or enhance commute trip reduction projects in an effort to reduce thousands of commute trips each month. Local employers eligible for the grants are those affected by the state Commute Trip Reduction Law and other work sites that voluntarily comply with the law.

Company mission:
Costco Wholesale is an international chain of membership warehouses that carry a variety of merchandise from groceries to automotive supplies and just about everything in between. The company’s mission is to provide its members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices. Taking care of its employees is among Costco’s highest business responsibilities.

Business issues:
Costco continually looks for new ways to encourage employees to utilize alternative commute modes. Because transit, vanpools and non-motorized modes such as biking and walking are not feasible for all employees, it was determined that carpooling in small groups of three may be a viable alternative for some employees. Traffic congestion in and around the home office as well as the need to make more parking available for vendors and guests while still meeting parking demand for employees also were driving forces behind the company’s application for an Employer Services Grant.

Project description:
Costco’s Carpool Program began with a luncheon to introduce the new program to employees. The program rewards employees in carpools of three or more people with monthly $25 Costco cash cards and front row parking spaces. Employees must carpool 60% of the time to receive these rewards. Guaranteed Ride Home service is also available to carpoolers should they need it. Internal e-mails and posters provide ongoing promotion of the program, as does employee word of mouth. “Now that the rainy season has started, carpooling employees have been overheard bragging about their front-row parking spots!” says Employee Transportation Coordinator Karen Mickley.

Benefits and results:
The new carpool project has been a very successful addition to Costco’s CTR program. 5,506 trips have already been reduced, approximately 34% of the goal for the entire project. The grant project has now grown to include nine carpools, up from just three when the program began. Some of the carpools have been so successful they have developed into vanpools. Employees often comment on how nice it is not to have to drive to work alone all the time.

Interest in the carpool program continues to grow and has translated into positive employee morale. Employees are excited to receive their Costco cash card rewards each month and pleased with their front-row parking spots. “We have seen happier employees and a willingness to move from carpool to vanpools,” says Mickley. “Costco has always focused on being a good neighbor, taking care of the environment, taking care of our employees and fulfilling our mission. The carpool program is just another way to do exactly that.” Providing one-on-one assistance to help employees form or locate carpools has been a big hit with those who otherwise might not have the time to do it on their own. Employees take seriously the accountability built into their monthly ridership reports and regard the program as a special privilege.

Karen Mickley’s advice to others looking to expand their own CTR programs is to be open to new and creative ways of meeting both the employees’ needs and the needs of the company—and “never give up.” She credits Costco’s management team with providing a significant boost to the success of the carpool program. “We would never have been able to try this without management support,” says Mickley.

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