Jan. 26, 2010: FDOT District One Commuter Services was just awarded the Florida Travel Choice Award for Innovation for the second year in a row!

Pictured: Jan Parham with Mike Wright (FDOT) accepting the Florida Travel Choice Award for Innovation from the 2008 Commuter Choice Summit in Saint Petersburg.  The University of Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research took a greener approach for the 2009 Commuter Choice Summit, by hosting an online webinar to reduce the amount of travel for event participants. 

Thank you to all of our Partners, Stakeholders and Commuters!

WE'RE HERE TO HELP!

Congested traffic conditions and fluctuating fuel costs are major issues for most travelers today. High prices at the pump are making it harder and more burdensome for people to drive alone every day.  Why not try sharing the ride with a co-worker, or taking transit to the office?  Alternative travel options like carpooling, teleworking, and other options are becoming more attractive every day, as commuters like you look for ways to cut costs and save time.  Let Commuter Services be your one-stop shop for easier travel choices.

Commuter Services is a FREE program of the Florida Department of Transportation, serving travelers who live or work in the 12-county region of Southwest Florida.

• We work with businesses to help their employees find a better way to get to work than driving by themselves.
• We work with local governments and transportation partners to help build better communities that offer a wider range of transportation choices - like bicycling and walking, and better accessibility for carpools, vanpools, or transit services.
• And we provide employers with a turnkey solution, including program development, on-site events, marketing tools, and incentive programs.

OUR REGION TODAY

The twelve counties of Southwest Florida - District 1 of the Florida Department of Transportation - are some of the fastest growing counties in the state. Lee County, which has both the largest employee population and is the fastest growing employment center in the District, grew more than 31% between 2000 and 2005.

Employment density is expected to continue to grow most rapidly through in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Mulberry, Bartow, Lake Wales, Haines City, Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, North Port, most of Lee County, Naples, Immokalee, Arcadia, Sebring, Avon Park, Lake Placid, and Okeechobee, through 2030.

With all of this growth in employment and residential populations, what is the impact on traffic conditions?

COMMUTING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

The fact is, more and more people are traveling longer distances to get between home and work - spending more time, more money, and more fuel than they need to be - because most of them are driving by themselves.

The high numbers of people traveling each day to the same places means there is a great potential for commuters to share the ride with others - whether in a 2 or 3 person carpool, in a vanpool with more commuters, or on a transit line. Commuter Services is here to help make that happen.

Commuter Services offers free online ridematching, carpool and vanpool services, the Emergency Ride Home program and more. We can help you get on the road to a better commute. For employers, Commuter Services works hand in hand with companies and organizations to develop tailored commute options programs that benefit them and their employees.