TI's progressive and comprehensive approach to commuting takes into consideration more than just optional modes of transportation. We encourage employees to make fewer daily trips, offer flexible work schedules, provide a campus shuttle service and even put communications technology in place to reduce trips between work sites.
We continuously evaluate how we can improve transportation programs to help our employees save money, reduce stress and improve their quality of life. The Commute Solutions program also helps TI reduce costs associated with health impacts, increase productivity, recruit and retain the very best employees, and at the same time improve air quality.
The transportation needs of our work force vary depending on their site location, proximity to congested areas, distance to work from home and individual circumstances. That's why we offer and encourage several options to reduce single-occupant commuting.
TI's Commute Solutions coordinators work primarily at facilities with large employee populations, such as Dallas, Texas, and Manchester, N.H. Their role is to build awareness of and coordinate Commute Solutions programs.
In other parts of the world, such as the Philippines, TI provides buses and jeeps to ferry employees to and from the city or their homes to TI's plant. In fact, almost 80 percent of TI Philippines employees use the buses and extension jeep service to travel to and from work – the highest percentage of employee mass transit use among all sites in the company.
In France, we host a Web site, Choose Another Way, to educate workers on commuting options. The site includes an eco-calculator to calculate the annual costs of employee transportation options, as well as places to view city maps, coordinate carpooling and order public transportation passes.
TI France also refunds 50 percent of monthly bus passes, improved roads to its site for cyclists, and joined other local companies in planning citywide alternative transportation programs. Already, 18 percent of employees are taking advantage of the initiatives, which offset more than 150 tons of carbon dioxide last year.
The following commuter programs are available at our Dallas site; many are available or encouraged at other sites globally.
Mass transit
TI began subsidizing the cost of mass transit passes to Dallas-area employees four years ago, which encourages our more than 9,000 Dallas-area employees to ride on any Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail train or bus, as well as the Trinity River Express bus and train system. This benefit not only saves employees money and stress from driving, but frees up time in the morning and evening that can be devoted to work tasks or next-day planning. In 2008, an estimated 1,200 employees used DART passes daily.
Vanpools
Our vanpools are entitled to use high-occupancy vehicle lanes and receive premium parking spaces at TI sites. Riding pools are another optional form of transportation that many employees enthusiastically support because of the money savings and reduced stress it affords them. At the end of 2008, 425 employees participated in TI- and DART-subsidized vanpools, up from 230 in 2007. In addition, 300 employees carpooled to and from work.
Shuttles
Employees can take advantage of TI's free shuttle network any time they need to make a short trip. Free service is available from DART stations to our Texas campuses in Dallas and Plano, and shuttle service between company buildings in Dallas is available as well. In 2008, these intercampus shuttles carried an average of 1,200 employees each day.
On-site facilities and services
Some transportation strategies have nothing to do with wheels. TI offers on-site facilities such as cafeterias to reduce lunch trips, and our Texins Activity Centers provide showers for workers who ride bicycles or walk to work.
Concierge service
Our on-site concierge service, LesConcierges, assists employees with errands, reservations, event planning and other needs. It even sells certain items on premises, such as gift cards and candy, to cut down on quick runs to the store. In 2008, the concierges served more than 2,500 U.S. employees and fulfilled nearly 8,700 requests.
TI also encourages the use of our virtual conferencing system, NetMeeting or WebEx, to reduce travel required for meetings at different locations.
Work flexibility
TI employees may be allowed to have flexible schedules by arranging to telecommute or work compressed shifts. These options can help make commuting less stressful or eliminate it altogether.
Information and education
Our internal Commute Solutions Web site serves as an information hub for employees to explore and learn more about commuting alternatives. The site includes a ridesharing match-up database; tips on how to reduce trips during the day; and information on flexible work options, commuting events and ozone alert days, which occur most frequently between May and October. In 2008, we revised and improved the Web site to improve access to information and rideshare matching.
Commute Solutions team members distribute information during peak ozone months to educate employees on commuting alternatives and learn from colleagues who are already using the program. TI promotes environmentally responsible practices in April as well during TI Earth Week.
