August 27, 2008 - San Francisco - Mayor signs commuter mandate.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has signed an ordinance that will require employers to offer employees at least one of three commuter benefit options.
Under the ordinance, which is intended to help reduce San Francisco's 2012 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% from 1990 levels, employers will have a choice of three transit options to offer to employees:
- Set up a program under which employees can make pretax contributions to the federal legal limit of $115 a month to pay for mass transit expenses. That option is expected to be the one most likely to be offered by employers.
- Employers can directly pay for employees’ transportation expenses, such as buying transit passes for employees.
- Employers can furnish transportation by setting up van pools for employees.
The ordinance, which will take effect in late December, will apply to employers with at least 20 employees and will have to be offered to employees who work an average of at least 10 hours per week.
If you are interested in how to set up a commuter program, please contact Bob Dougherty at 866-571-2175 or e-mail at bobd@hrsimplifed.com.
Source: Business Inusrance