The ConnectGo Getting To Work Report is clear: Omaha and Council Bluffs employers have an opportunity to eliminate up to 17% of employees’ drive-alone car trips—improving equity, the environment, and employee retention.

Through a series of nine surveys we conducted at more than 20 organizations in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, we learned that working from home is more popular than ever and that most commuters want the option to combine multiple active transportation modes including transit, walking, biking, carpooling, and working from home instead of making daily drives to their workplaces. The environmental and economic benefits of those options, which we wrote about last week, are meaningful. So, where do we go from here?

Over 4,000 employees completed our survey, representing a population of nearly 16,000 of their colleagues. By assessing how they get to work now and how they would prefer to commute in the future, we identified and shared specific supportive programming ideas that each employer can use to meet their employees’ needs. The surveys were distributed at no cost to employers thanks to our partnership with the Greater Omaha Chamber and Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) and funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Iowa West Foundation, and the Nebraska Environmental Trust. 

While the survey results and report are cumulative, we formed individual relationships with each participating employer to help them understand the specific ways they can supporting active commuting options for their team.

For example, organizations that lack sidewalk infrastructure can offer vanpooling or shuttle programs from the nearest transit stop. Other organizations could make an impact by installing secure bike racks in or near their building. As the report details, free transit and bike share passes and policies allowing remote work are also important steps forward. 

Click here to visit ConnectGo’s website and download the report. If your organization wants to learn how to implement programming that supports active commuting, reach out at info@verdisgroup.com. 

For more, check out our latest Facebook Live discussion here and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.