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Travel reduction is an important part of our EHS programs, particularly in the Phoenix area – a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) non-attainment area for ozone and particulate matter. We encourage employee travel reduction activity and offer subsidies to further persuade our employees to use alternative means of transportation. Our subsidies cover a portion of the costs for vanpooling, bus fares and carpool parking. We accommodate compressed work weeks, telecommuting and videoconferencing.
Each year the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Maricopa Association of Governments, Maricopa County and Valley Metro sponsor the Clean Air Campaign. This campaign recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to cleaner air in the Phoenix Metro area through their efforts in the Maricopa County Trip Reduction Program.
This year, Jeannie Pratt, senior account management analyst, won the 2004 Clean Air Campaign award for alternative mode user – vanpool. This award recognized her efforts and creativity over the last six years to keep her vanpool operating. With a nine passenger van, she is able to take eight vehicles off the road resulting in pollution savings of about 3,900 pounds annually.
APS’ Palo Verde vanpool program was a finalist in the 2004 Annual Clean Air Campaign for the second straight year. APS maintains a fleet of 167 vans that operate daily for employees commuting between Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) and the Phoenix area. APS began operating this program in 1994 and almost 62 percent of the permanent APS employees at PVNGS participate. This program has significantly contributed to the site achieving a single occupant vehicle (SOV) rate well below the 60-percent target.
The 2001, 2002 and 2003 SOV rates for PVNGS were 29 percent, 29 percent and 30.4 percent, respectively. The fleet approaches five million commuting miles annually. The commuting miles eliminated with this outstanding program is more than $32.7 million annually, resulting in a pollution savings of approximately 442 tons each year. The program also boasts of an exceptional safety program. There were no major accidents in either 2003 or 2004, and the low number of minor accidents is the equivalent of one every 480,000 miles.
Travel reduction incentives for employees:
- $25 monthly subsidy toward vanpool expense for employees who commute in any local Valley Metro vans. The employee monthly costs are payroll deducted.
- A 50-percent subsidy of the monthly accrued fares up to $20 to employees who commute by bus.
- Employees carpooling do not pay the monthly $46 for parking at company headquarters.
- Employees carpooling with three or more people do not pay the cost of parking and are given a reserved parking space in the parking garage at headquarters.
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