The Commute Rewards Program is designed to encourage Bexar County employees to save money while trying alternate transportation for their commute.  Employees who either ride VIA 30 times or carpool 15 times during the month of October will be entered to win two free tickets to a Spurs game, a free dinner for two at Blanco Café, or a $100 H-E-B- gift card.  Commissioner Adkisson is coordinating  the program with the Alamo Area Council of Governments, and VIA Metropolitan Transit.  Prizes were donated by their respective organizations

The purpose of the program, according to Commissioner Adkisson, is to help save employees money while also improving local air quality and reducing traffic. 

According to a survey performed earlier this year, the average commute for a Bexar County employee is 29 minutes.  Many employees say that their time is better spent riding the bus than in traffic for the morning commute.  The response so far is beyond our expectations has been very enthusiastic.

"I frequently ride the express bus to and from Selma," says Charlie Eads, Bexar County Purchasing Agent and City of Selma Councilman.  "It reduces the wear and tear on my vehicle, but, more importantly, it reduces the wear and tear on me. I am able to relax, read the paper, or chat with fellow passengers.  Less pollution, less traffic, less aggravation. This is a classic win-win situation."

Alternate commuters also report considerable savings.

"I drive a car maybe five times a year," says Bexar County Executive Director for Information Services, Dr. David Morgan.  "Normally I take the bus, carpool or ride my motorcycle.  The bus picks me up two blocks from home and drops me three blocks from the office--it takes a total of 10 minutes longer than driving but, with the low cost county bus pass, it costs less and means we don't have to have another car.  I use the bus about 10 work days per month and in the last two years it has been no more than five minutes late and is within 90 seconds of being on time about 90 percent of the time--that's astonishing!"

In fact, according to the Alamo Area Commute Solutions program, a Bexar County commuter who drives just 10 miles to work each morning and pays just $30 per month for parking could save over $1,000 each year by carpooling or over $2,000 each year by riding the bus. 

Air pollution savings are also a benefit of alternate commutes.  In Bexar County, vehicle exhaust emissions are the single largest source of the pollutants that form ground-level ozone.  High concentrations of ground-level ozone in Bexar County have already violated national standards for healthy air.  The EPA reports that "exposure to [ground-level] ozone for six to seven hours, even at relatively low concentrations, significantly reduces lung function and induces respiratory inflammation in normal, healthy people during periods of moderate exercise."