EVALUATION OF AN EMPLOYER-BASED COMMUTER RIDE-SHARING PROGRAM

The commuter ride-sharing program developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority for its employees in Knoxville, Tennessee, uses a variety of transportation modes--express buses van pools and car pools. The program has been very successful with 2686 employees (79 percent of the total work force of 3400 employees) participating. The program has different implications for the employer, the employees, and the community; these implications for each interest group are quantified in terms of benefits and costs. The analysis shows that by supporting the ride-sharing demonstration program, the employer was able to avoid the cost of constructing a new parking structure for the employees and that the resulting annual savings are larger than the annual cost of the subsidies to the program that are paid as an incentive to participating employees. From the standpoint of the employees, the program resulted in a substantial reduction in commuting costs. The reduction in fuel consumption that can be attributed to ride sharing was quantified, and the consequences in terms of improved traffic operating conditions along a major travel corridor and the favorable impact on the local transit system were examined. /Author/