Employee commuting programs

TravelWise is a City of Ottawa program for workplaces that want to improve their employee commuting. TravelWise provides workplaces with policies and programs that make it easier and more inviting for their employees to take transit, bike, walk and carpool to work.

Why Commuting Matters

Improving commuting at your workplace benefits your workplace, your employees and your community:

Manage Parking Demand

Increase the number of commuter trips made by transit, cycling, walking, and carpooling to reduce the number of cars parking at your workplace. This frees up valuable parking spaces for clients and visitors.

Improve Employee Wellness and Increase Employee Retention

An enjoyable, comfortable, convenient commute leads to higher levels of employee retention. Walking and cycling to work improve health, increase energy levels and reduce stress.

Demonstrate your Environmental Leadership

Take measurable actions to reduce GHG emissions associated with commuting. Reduce congestion, decrease noise pollution and improve air quality in your community.

Choose a TravelWise Program

1. The Full TravelWise Program. For workplaces ready to commit to significant change. Through consistent support beginning with a 12-month onboarding period, your workplace will gain the knowledge and tools to implement long-term and lasting commuting solutions. You will receive:

• A site assessment to understand how existing infrastructure impacts commuting options;
• An employee commuter survey to assess current commuting patterns;
• A customized TravelWise Plan to improve sustainable commuting at your workplace;
• Ongoing program support (up to 4 hours per month) to help you implement your plan during the Program.

2. The TravelWise Menu. For workplaces ready for a quick win in one or more areas of sustainable commuting. Choose from a selection of tools and programs to increase trips by transit, cycling, walking or carpooling, including access to OttawaRideMatch carpool matching site, workshops, transportation booths, focus groups, and more.

Current TravelWise Workplaces include:

• Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre
• IKEA Ottawa
• National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ)

For more information about TravelWise contact:

Kathleen Wilker,
Transportation Demand Management Project Officer
kathleen.wilker@ottawa.ca
613-580-2424 ext. 42014

Carpooling is simple - just share a ride with other people who work or live near you. Some carpools have rotating drivers while others rely on a single person to drive, with passengers chipping in to cover expenses.

Joining a carpool can provide a number of benefits, from reducing costs to qualifying for a better parking spot. Passengers also benefit by having extra time to eat, read, sleep or socialize, all without the stress of driving in rush-hour traffic.

Carpooling can make sense for more than just commuting to work. Think about sharing a ride to the grocery store or the shopping mall, or on a trip to another city. Not only can you reduce your expenses, but you'll have more fun too.

Make your trip easy going!

OttawaRideMatch.com is a website that enables you to quickly and easily find people with whom to carpool. It is a free ride-matching system available to anyone who lives or works in the National Capital Region.

OttawaRideMatch.com offers a number of features, including:

• Flexible carpool scheduling
• Ability to search for matches along your route to work
• Ability to search for matches within your work group or based on your personal preferences.

Why carpool?

• Carpooling saves you money. Depending on your vehicle and travel patterns, driving can cost you from 40 to 80 cents per kilometre. Sharing this cost makes cents.
• Carpooling provides you with a healthier ride to work by reducing the stress associated with driving in rush-hour traffic. Carpooling helps the environment and your community through reduced traffic congestion, lower accident rates and less pollution.

TravelWise

Facilitating carpooling is one way that the City is addressing traffic congestion and making the most of our transportation network.

MTO carpool lots

The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario provides free carpool parking lots near dozens of highway interchanges throughout Ontario. They are ideal places to meet up with your pre-arranged carpool partners before entering the highway system.

Frequently asked questions about carpooling

Who does the driving?

You and the other member(s) of your carpool decide. In some cases, participants will take turns, while in others there will only be one driver.

What if I don’t have a car?

This is not a problem. When registering, simply indicate that you only wish to be a

passenger.

Do I have to carpool everyday?

No. You can carpool everyday, or only a couple of days a week. OttawaRideMatch.com allows you to indicate when you are available to carpool.