Now that fall routines are in full swing, traffic congestion doesn’t have to be part of your employee’s daily grind. Commuter Connections provides resources and services that are always free and help make commutes more efficient, affordable, and productive. Commuter Connections is a regional network of transportation organizations coordinated through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). For more than 50 years this network has offered free commuting services, collaborating directly with employers to incentivize and assist employees with carpools, vanpools, transit, bicycling, and walking to get to work.
In 2025, as more employees return to the office—driven largely by federal return-to-office mandates (RTO)—traffic congestion has increased in tandem. Commuters are turning to Commuter Connections for solutions to improve their newfound trek into the office. From January to June, Commuter Connections reported a 249 percent increase in web visits compared to the same time frame during the previous year, notably, increased interest has been seen in carpooling as a great alternative to driving alone to work. Carpooling shares the cost of commuting and provides free use of Virginia’s Express Lanes and access to Maryland’s HOV Lanes.
Commuter Connections has also seen a surge of requests for assistance, increasing by nearly 200 percent in 2025, compared to 2024— from 6,780 to 20,073. Additionally, there has been renewed interest in its commuter rewards app, CommuterCash, re-branded by Commuter Connections in March, which has since reported more than 3,000 downloads in its first four months.
“We tend to see more traffic in early fall, and with even more workers in the region returning to the office this year, commuting has become more difficult, at least for those that haven’t yet turned to Commuter Connections for help. We’re a great resource with free options that fit the wide array of different commuter lifestyles,” said Commuter Connections Director, Daniel Sheehan.
With Commuter Connections’ free services, your company can increase moral by offering yet another value to your employees. Incentives provided by Commuter Connections include the following:
CommuterCash
- CommuterCash is a rewards app that engages with commuters and encourages use of transportation alternatives to driving alone, through gamification and rewards points that can be redeemed for real cash. Commuters can use the app to explore carpooling, transit, bicycling, etc., or a combination of travel options. Commute trips that are logged into the CommuterCash app earn points that can be redeemed for cash (PayPal & Venmo), Visa cards, or credits toward Capital Bikeshare or SmarTrip. Commuters traveling within or into the DMV or anywhere within Maryland, can earn up to $10 cash after completing just 10 roundtrips during peak commute hours. Rewards points earned for commuting while using the app can be accumulated to $25, $50, or more. In fact, up to $600 in cash can be earned by each employee, per calendar year.
Carpool Bonus
- An extra cash bonus is available to commuters who start or join a new carpool. Commuters who register their new carpools with Commuter Connections can earn up to $320 over 90 days, and vanpools of at least seven people can qualify for a $200 recurring monthly subsidy.
- And don’t forget that due to the ongoing 495 NEXT Express Lanes construction project in Virginia, Commuter Connections is currently offering an additional $100 to be earned by commuters traveling along I-495 between Old Dominion Drive and the American Legion Bridge. The added incentive will be calculated based on the number of trips logged and applied automatically and is roughly $5 per day.
Guaranteed Ride Home
- In case of an emergency, Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) from Commuter Connections provides support for commuters who regularly (two or more days per week) carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, or take transit to work with a free and reliable ride home. Commuters may take advantage of the GRH program for up to six times per year for personal illness, a sick child, or other emergencies that may arise. Your employees can even take advantage of the program if they need to stay late for unscheduled overtime.
Tax Savings
- Employers can also offer employees up to $325 pre-tax each month, to cover transit and vanpool expenses through the free SmartBenefits system, available to employers to administer at no charge to employees through the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro).
Learn more about Commuter Connections and the various free ways we can help your employees find smarter ways to work, at commuterconnections.org.
