WATERLOO REGION — A workplace program that encourages employees to use greener ways to get to work earned the Region of Waterloo an international award.

The TravelWise Program won the Association of Commuter Transportation's outstanding transportation management association award, presented each year to an organization that best uses its public or private partnerships to achieve local transportation goals.

"We've had really good success with the program," said Kevan Marshall, principal planner with Grand River Transit.

TravelWise is a Grand River Transit program offered to employers to encourage employees to pick sustainable options such as carpooling, cycling and public transit over driving alone.

Participating employers pay an annual membership fee which entitles their employees to several perks — the biggest one being a reduced price for monthly transit passes.

"That has definitely been our anchor feature of the program," Marshall said.

There's also reimbursement for a cab ride home in case of an emergency for those who biked or carpooled to work, and a private online staff carpool network to connect with a ride.

On-site orientation and events to promote the program to employees are paid for by the membership fee, which changes depending on the organization's size. A popular option is bringing in a mobile bike rack unit for people to try out, rather than figuring it out on the fly while a bus waits.

Starting as a pilot in 2011, TravelWise has grown from 13 to 48 participating employers representing more than 30,000 employees.

Marshall said the launch of Ion gave the membership a bump along the light rail corridor. They're also seeing growth in Cambridge industrial parks, including bringing Toyota and ATS Automation on board, thanks to two-year trial memberships covered by the region as part of its transit-supportive strategy.

Companies can find out more at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/TravelWise or by emailing TravelWise@regionofwaterloo.ca.

"We are still building membership and we're happy to talk to people about it," Marshall said.

The Association of Commuter Transportation is an international organization of professionals who work to reduce traffic congestion, improve the lives of commuters and livability of communities by providing a mix of reliable and affordable transportation options.

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