Montgomery County and groups such as Bethesda Transportation Solutions are striving to get commuters out of their cars by promoting other transportation options.
What does that effort look like within a specific company in downtown Bethesda?
The Cadmus Group, a national consulting and management firm with an office at Bethesda’s Garden Plaza building, offers a glimpse. Commuter Connections, a program of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, honored Cadmus with an award on Wednesday for its commuter benefits program.
Cadmus offers employees who use Metro a $160 transit subsidy each month and a $100 yearly bicycle subsidy to those who bike to and from work. The Bethesda office is at 7700 Old Georgetown Rd., just a few blocks away from the Bethesda Metro station.
According to MWCOG, Cadmus offers a shuttle service from the Metro station and offers on-site lockers, shower facilities and bike racks. All employees can telework and take part in a compressed work schedule.
Of the company’s 83 employees split between Bethesda and Arlington, roughly 65 have found alternatives to drive-alone commutes. In the video above, produced by MWCOG, Cadmus CEO Ian Kline says getting employees out of their cars does more than benefit area traffic patterns during rush hour.
“We don’t want stressed out, frustrated employees who have just spent 45 minutes on the Beltway,” Kline said. “We want happy employees who are deeply engaged in our work, who are making choices they feel great about and coming into work ready to do the important work we do every day.”
Kline estimated the company’s alternative commuting subsidies have saved its employees anywhere from 375,000 to 400,000 vehicle miles traveled and almost 20,000 gallons of gas.
Others recognized at the MWCOG event on Wednesday were the USDA Forest Service for its teleworking program and FDA in White Oak for its marketing of alternative commutes.
Almost 9,000 employees are expected to move to FDA’s White Oak campus as part of a recently approved Montgomery County master plan for the area. The federal agency will have two parking spots for every three employees on campus.
Video via MWCOG
