Want a way to get to and around our region that's easier, less stressful, and less expensive?
TripSmart PA can help commuters to and within southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as residents of and visitors to our region, find travel alternatives to driving alone. With TripSmart PA, companies can also improve their benefits package while saving employees time and money on their commute. And all this helps reduce traffic and air pollution in our region, too.
About TripSmart PA
Brochure
[0.3 MB pdf]
Whether it's on transit, in a car pool or van pool, or even working from home, TripSmart has information on and resources for the various alternatives to single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) and how companies and individuals can take advantage of them.
First, there's Share-A-Ride: a free, comprehensive, computerized commute match service that can put commuters and residents in touch with other commuters going their way or with the most convenient transit options.
To see which alternatives work best for you, sign up for Share-A-Ride. You can also register for the Emergency Ride Home program through Share-A-Ride. And you can find information about similar programs in New Jersey, Delaware, and other parts of Pennsylvania at www.pacarpool.org.
The best part is, because they’re funded by PennDOT, TripSmart PA services are free to residents, visitors, employers and employees!
To find out more about TripSmart PA, contact the TMA that serves the area where you live or where your worksite is located.
Using Transit
If you'd like to try transit options, or if you're an employer looking to encourage greater use of transit by your employees, TripSmart can provide you or your company with the tools to make the best choices -- and even directly involve SEPTA, PATCO and/or NJTransit, including special programs for employers and how to overcome obstacles to transit use.
Share-A-Ride
The Share-A-Ride program is a free, computerized ridematch service that gives residents of and commuters working in southeastern Pennsylvania information on convenient transit services, how to set up car and vanpool groups, and walking and bicycling opportunities. Even employers can get on board by locating matches for their employees!
Emergency Ride Home
An Emergency Ride Home (ERH) program, sometimes called Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH), provides a “safety” net for commuters who share their ride (carpool, vanpool, transit) or bike to work on a regular basis, should they need to get to a person or place quickly in the case of a true emergency.
Park-n-Ride
Park and Ride lots are areas specifically dedicated for use by commuters to park vehicles while using public transit or participating in carpools or vanpools, even for a one-time use. See this interactive map of official Park-n-Ride lots in southeastern PA, southern NJ and northern DE.
Alternate Work Schedules
Flextime allows employees to alter their arrival and departure times slightly to accommodate various commute schedules. Compressed Work Week schedules allow certain employees to condense the hours they work into fewer days, increasing the length of each work day, and thus decreasing the number of days spent at the work site, and commuting to and from home.
Telework
Telework, or telecommuting, allows employees to work remotely or from home under special arrangements with their employer. The Covid pandemic pushed this option to the forefront, and many employers have chosen to maintain a combined in-office/work from home schedule. Through TripSmart PA, employers can learn how to improve their current telework programs or set up formal telework policies and programs. A webinar with some “telework basics” can be found here.
Employee Incentives
There are many types of incentives to consider, and each has a different cost (or no cost), depending on how it is executed and who participates. Tax-free transit benefits, employee discounts at local retailers and restaurants, and preferential parking for carpools and vanpools are some examples that are covered.
Parking Management
Parking Management encourages employees to use shared commute methods by making single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel less convenient and/or more expensive. These programs can also benefit employers by eliminating the need for additional parking lot construction and reducing maintenance and insurance costs.
Supplemental Programs
There are several other methods that employers and municipalities can adopt to encourage shared commutes and reduce traffic in central business districts, including providing bicycle and walking facilities, shuttle services to and from transit stations and stops, implementing ordinances, and accommodating childcare schedules.
Find Your TripSmart Contact
There are a number of partner organizations that can help you find the information and programs you need, such as the Transportation Management Association (TMA) in your area.