OAKLAND, Calif., April 5, 2002
With fare hikes and service cuts for public transportation making headlines these days, one company dedicated to helping support public transit solutions is finding success — with viable solutions that make financial, practical and environmental sense for commuters. Enrollment in the Commuter Check transit benefit program, which provides tax-free transit fare vouchers, has soared in the Bay Area, with March figures showing more than a 100 percent increase in sales. That month alone, 76 new Bay Area companies enrolled in the Commuter Check program, doubling the monthly average of 38 new customers per month over the last six months, and early results suggest April enrollment will exceed 100 new employers. In dollars, Bay Area employers purchased $4.76 million in Commuter Check vouchers in March, more than doubling the six-month average of $2.35 million per month.

"The Bay Area is environmentally and socially conscious. So once commuters and their employers know about Commuter Checks, they are enthusiastic about participation in a program that agrees with their ideals and saves them money," said Richard Oram, Commuter Check founder and CEO. "The economic benefits grow more compelling as commuters seek ways to offset the fare hikes being considered by local transit agencies," Oram added.

Beginning in November of 2001, Commuter Check instituted an aggressive campaign to inform Bay Area commuters that effective January 1, 2002, the maximum individual benefit for tax-free transit payroll deductions increased from $65 to $100 per month. The added savings came at a crucial time for many Bay Area commuters, as deficits have prompted the majority of transit agencies to propose fare hikes.

The increase allows employers to give employees up to $1,200 per year as a tax-free benefit to use towards transit expenses, and increases their annual per employee savings to approximately $120. Now all commuters can save up to $480 annually by participating in the Commuter Check program and enrolled employers enjoy increased savings through a reduction in payroll taxes and payroll-related expenses.

In an economic climate that has resulted in layoffs, salary cuts and decreased transit ridership throughout the Bay Area, Commuter Check offers a program that financially benefits both employers and their employees, while increasing transit ridership and revenue. Survey data found that ransit ridership increases an average of 25 percent when companies implement Commuter Check.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), one of the few transit agencies not planning to increase fares, teamed up with Commuter Check in a promotional partnership that involves a range of marketing activities that the two agencies will conduct over 18 months. These joint activities are aimed at reaching employers and employees to increase awareness of Commuter Check among BART riders, that began with station and train poster advertising and is now continuing with other promotional efforts. According to a market survey conducted in August 2001 by Corey, Canapary & Galanis Research on behalf of BART, approximately 27 percent of BART weekday riders now receive employer-provided fare subsidies, up from eight percent in 1998 and three percent in 1992. Commuter Check began in the Bay Area in 1991.

"The combination of the legislative change, our transit agency alliances and an expanded marketing program has boosted our Bay Area enrollment dramatically," said Oram. "Our web hits and call volume are way up, thanks to the higher awareness."

Since 1991, Commuter Check has enrolled more than 3,400 Bay Area employers, and now serves more than 80,000 commuters. Since 1991, over $110 million in Bay Area, transit benefits have been delivered through Commuter Check, and sales in 2002 are projected to exceed $40 million. Due to the ridership growth the program delivers, it is estimated that in 2002 over $10 million in Bay Area transit revenues will be a direct result of Commuter Check.

Commuter Check vouchers can be redeemed for all Bay Area transit passes, tickets or tokens, as well as vanpool fares. As a tax-free benefit, Commuter Check vouchers can be provided by employers in three ways: 1) paid by employees as a pre-tax payroll deduction, like a 401(k), 2) paid by employers as a supplemental employee benefit like free parking or 3) "share the fare," when a portion is paid by the employer and a portion is paid by the employee.

For information on Commuter Check, call (800) 559-7909.

About Commuter Check
Commuter Check Services Corp., based in Englewood, New Jersey, is committed to making employer-provided transit fare subsidies a widespread employee benefit by providing cost-effective services, working in close partnership with local public agencies, and providing a high level of service to employers who purchase Commuter Checks. Commuter Checks are vouchers redeemed for public transit fares, and are sold to employers for use as a tax-free employee benefit, bonus or substitute for taxable salary. Commuter Check was formed in 1990 to operate transit discount programs in coordination with local public transit operators, metropolitan planning agencies and State transportation departments. In addition to the Bay Area, Commuter Check also serves Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Denver and other regions across the U.S.