PickUP Program
with Waze Carpool
Introducing the PickUP program
The solution to your transportation problem is already in your building!
PickUp is a program that provides subsidies and incentives to your employees when they use Waze Carpool. Waze Carpool is a carpooling app that connects drivers and riders already going to similar work destinations to ride together. With Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association’s (GMTMA) new program, PickUp, potential or current employees in targeted areas of Mercer and Middlesex County will have improved access to job opportunities in the warehouse/distribution area along the Rt. 130 corridor – all at a low cost by using the Waze Carpool app to commute to work.
How is PickUP different from other carpool programs?
Thanks to our partnership with Waze Carpool, a peer-to-peer carpooling app, the PickUp program helps coworkers with similar commutes easily set up carpools to work. The sign-up process is also much easier because it’s fully managed in the app. Prices are set to reimburse drivers for gas costs. Riders pay in the app, so nobody has to worry about cash. And because this program is being subsidized by Greater Mercer TMA, riders will only pay $1.
Here is how your business will benefit:
Expand your labor market
Transit options are very limited in the 8A warehouse district and oftentimes do not properly sync with shift schedules. PickUp will increase the number of transportation options new employees have for getting to work. No longer will you hire someone only to find out they cannot consistently get to your warehouse.
Reduced Turnover and the Associated Costs
On average, warehouse employee turnover is estimated to cost 25% of the employee’s salary. Help eliminate this cost by ensuring that workers always have a reliable way to get to work.
Increased Productivity
We understand that a current problem with traditional carpooling is that if the driver can’t come to work, then all the carpoolers also miss their shift. With PickUp, the other carpoolers will now have the opportunity to find a different carpool to get to work that day/morning/evening, reducing your absenteeism rate.
Help your employees get some extra money in their pockets, all at no cost to you
Employees who use PickUp as a driver will offset the cost of their commute just by driving to work. Riders get a very low cost option to work. Drivers and riders have more money in their pocket by using PickUp with Waze Carpool. It’s a win-win all around, and it is absolutely free for your organization to participate!
This program is being subsidized by Greater Mercer TMA through grant funding, which enables the following benefits:
● Low cost rides: The cost of the ride is being subsidized by GMTMA through grant funding. Initial cost will be only $1.00 for a ride and will remain at or below $4.00 through 12/31/21 in the program areas
● Bonus cash for drivers participating in the program
● Additional financial incentives for employees who participate (riders and
drivers)
● Employees who sign up will be eligible for two free substitute rides through a third party if they used the Waze Carpool app to get to work, but are unable to find a ride back home
Here’s how it works
● Employees are invited to join a custom group on Waze Carpool, signing up as either a driver or a rider.
● They’re matched with fellow coworkers or workers in the area who have a similar route & schedule.
● Riders pitch in for the cost of the drive, which for riders in the group is set at $1.00 courtesy of GMTMA. Payment is handled through the app – no cash exchanged.
● The subsidy is automatically applied for riders, and drivers will get reimbursed up to the IRS’s allowable mileage rate for 2021 (56 cents per mile)
Campaign launched on August 3, 2021. Sign up for PickUp with Waze here.
here’s what we need from you
In order for this program to be successful, we will need lots of drivers and riders to sign up for the app. That is where you come in. We’d like to work with you in attracting both riders and drivers to sign up for the program. When they do, you and your community will start enjoying the benefits. We have extensive support material available to promote the program. We can even tailor our marketing campaign to fit your particular work environment! Also, we’re available to provide promotional support such as tabling at your location. We’re very excited to be able to offer this program to mitigate the transportation barriers that impact both employees and employers in your location.
Contact Steven DaCosta (Sdacosta@gmtma.org) to begin promoting the PickUP program at your workplace.
We look forward to working with you soon!
We look forward to working with you soon!
Find out if you qualify for the program by checking the map
PickUp is currently only available to businesses in the 8A Warehouse district or along the Rt. 571 corridor (See map). Only riders who live in Mercer County will qualify for the subsidy.