Cal State Long Beach employees are paid not only to work but also to commute to work – granted they use the right mode of transportation.
The Rideshare @ The Beach program program, sponsored by the parking and transportation department, is an incentive program designed to encourage CSULB employees to use sustainable transportation for their commutes to work.
According to Elissa Thomas, sustainable transportation program coordinator, members of the program can earn a dollar a day if they walk, bike or carpool to work. They can also earn rewards for riding their motorcycle or driving a hybrid or an electric vehicle to work.
“There’s a saying, ‘You can’t have a green building without a green commute,’ and that is very true in my opinion,” Thomas said. “It’s one thing to use a sustainable light bulb, but when the largest part of your environmental footprint comes from your transportation choices, it helps to have programs [like this] in place.”
Employees can sign up as members of the program on the CSULB Rideshare rewards website. Once accepted, members must keep a daily log on how they choose to commute to work, according to the Rideshare website. Members submit their logs to the program each month.
Rewards can be redeemed in the form of Beach Bucks, for use on campus and at select off-campus restaurants and stores. They can also be redeemed in gift certificates to Lowe’s, Cafe Piccolo and JAX bicycle.
According to Thomas, the department has seen exponential growth in some of its services since introducing the program in 1989.
“Our carpool ride match service … started off with just seven people, and now it [has] 1,700,” Thomas said. “The number of bicyclists coming to campus has [also] increased.”
David Dowell, director of strategic planning and vice provost for planning and budgets, signed up for the program two years ago so he could earn rewards for his commute but said he wishes he had joined sooner.
Dowell, who lives six miles from campus, said he rides his bike to work each day and uses it even when he goes out to buy groceries. He also said he estimates that by not owning another car, he is saving about $2,000 every year.
“I really enjoy riding to and from work,” Dowell said. “I like doing something for the environment, [and] I like getting exercise every day.”
Aside from earning Beach Bucks and gift certificates, Thomas said there are other benefits that can be gained through using sustainable transport.
“Just speaking from my own experience, it’s very relaxing,” she said about taking public transportation or bicycling to work. “The road rage is gone. The gas-break, gas-break from sitting in traffic is gone. Those stressors [are] removed from your commute, and you arrive at the work place well rested and ready to go.”
Vice President for Academic Affairs Mary Stephens, who isn’t part of the rewards program, said since the introduction of U-pass, she has tried to take the bus as often as her schedule allows because it gives her the opportunity to make use of her commute time.
“I don’t have to worry about traffic or things getting oaked up, so it’s advantageous that way,” Stephens said. “[Instead] you can do something while you’re on the bus, like read or go through emails, so it’s actually a better use of time.”