Pilot Clean Commute Incentive Program
The Sonoma County Clean Commute Employee Benefit Program was created to promote the use of alternative forms of transportation to reduce the County’s overall carbon emissions. Permanent County employees are eligible for up to $100 per month if they ride the train, bus, carpool, bike or walk to work at least 48 days in a six-month period.
There are two ways for employees to be eligible:
Option 1: Bus, Carpool, Bike and Walking
The County will provide a taxable, lump sum payment of $600 if an employee has taken the bus, carpooled, biked, or walked to work at least 48 days within a six-month reporting period. Those 48 days can be achieved through a combination of any of those modes.
Employees must use the Online Trip Tracker to log their bus, carpool, bike, and walktrips in order to be eligible for this incentive. Telework is not an eligible mode for this incentive.
The six-month reporting periods for Option 1 are from January 1st through June 30th and July 1st through December 31st.
Audits of the Bus, Carpool, Bike and Walking incentive will be conducted to ensure compliance with program requirements.
Option 2: My Commuter Check Purchases
The County will match purchases made through the County’s pre-tax commuter benefit platform, My Commuter Check, up to $100 per month. This includes purchases of SMART passes, eCash, and other Clipper products.
This is considered a pre-tax subsidy, if the total My Commuter Check purchase is below $250 per month. This incentive cannot be combined with the Bus, Carpool, Bike, and Walk incentive, even if the monthly match is below $100.
Please see the Pre-Tax Benefit page for more information on your pre-tax transportation benefits and how to create an account and make purchases using My Commuter Check. Keep in mind that monthly elections are due in advance by the 10th of the month for the following benefit month. For instance, January 10th for February benefits.