Taking public transit is an excellent way for commuters to save money, reduce wear and tear on their vehicles, improve regional air quality, and include a healthy activity in their day. Plus, it offers the opportunity to read or relax during travel. Specifically, transit:

• Provides an economical alternative to your monthly fuel bill
• Offers time to read, relax, or view emails
• Positively impacts local air quality by reducing a commuter’s carbon footprint
• May reduce auto insurance costs: Some insurers will change the status of your vehicle to “leisure auto” and lower your premium. Contact your auto insurance agent for details.
• Offers possible tax benefits: The Commuter Tax Benefit program allows commuters to pay for a portion of their commuting expenses with pre-tax dollars.

Valley Metro is the public transportation provider for the Roanoke Valley, serving the Cities of Roanoke and Salem and the Town of Vinton. Valley Metro also provides commuter bus service between Roanoke and the New River Valley with its Smart Way Bus. All buses are equipped with bike racks.

RIDE Solutions can help you find the best transit option, and as a RIDE Solutions member, you are eligible for the Emergency Ride Home benefit. (Learn more.)

Amtrak’s destinations throughout the country can be accessed via Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville, and Clifton Forge. Amtrak has expanded its carry-on bike program for Northeast Regional trains operating in Virginia, allowing passengers to store their bikes inside the passenger coach for a nominal fee. (Learn more here.)

Carpooling involves two or more people sharing a ride in a private vehicle regularly. It’s a straightforward, casual arrangement that continues for as long as the participants agree. If you’re seeking a convenient carpool, we’re here to assist. The ConnectingVA app offers complimentary commuter matching services to anyone living, working, or studying in Virginia.

To get started, simply sign up and create a profile on the ConnectingVA app. This user-friendly system puts you in charge of your search, letting you set your criteria and preferences. You can easily spot your matches on a map and get in touch with them through the app. Feel free to update your schedule, locations, search radius, and profile details anytime.

Vanpooling is usually set up at the workplace. You share a ride with coworkers who live nearby or along your commute route in a vehicle owned by a third-party leasing company. The total cost, which includes insurance, maintenance, and fuel, is divided among the riders. RIDE Solutions currently partners with Commute with Enterprise. Vanpools registered through the state DRPT agreement can also receive a monthly subsidy that reduces the total cost paid by the commuters.

Contact us to learn more and schedule a meeting to help you set up a vanpool.

You can request information on safe bike routes directly from RIDE Solutions.

If you’re considering switching to biking or walking as a healthier, cleaner alternative to driving for your daily commute, or simply enjoying the region’s greenways, trails, and bike paths for recreational use, the Roanoke and New River Valleys offer ample opportunities for a safe and enjoyable experience.

Biking to work or school is easier than you think, healthy, clean, and economical. We have gathered a compilation of safety and commuter tips and resources to assist all bicyclists – from beginner to advanced – have a safe and fun bicycling experience.

Finding a Route

• Developing the best route to your destination is not always easy and often requires trial and error in finding the best route. Travel time, road conditions, bicycle facilities, traffic flow, and geography are all considered when planning your route.
• Safety is a top concern; ride with caution and obey traffic laws.

Details to Consider:

• • Plan for weather and transporting clothes/supplies
  • Have a secondary transportation option for emergencies

Resources:

• • RIDE Solutions can help you find and recommend a bike route.
  • Find detailed resources on how to prepare for bike commuting at the League of American Bicyclists’ Commuting Page 
  • The Emergency Ride Home benefit provides any registered member (with ConnectingVA) a free ride home in an emergency. This bike commuting “insurance policy” is your assurance you will not get stranded at work.

Walking is the most common mode of transportation. It is also one of the easiest and least expensive forms of exercise. However, in a car-centric world, developing a strategy to stay safe and visible is important. Expanding the pedestrian environment—such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands—has become a focus and priority for all the localities within the RIDE Solutions region.

Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, explains walkability this way:

“As a fish needs to swim, a bird to fly, a deer to run, we need to walk, not in order to survive, but to be happy.”

Telework, or remote working, is an excellent option for reducing your commute costs and getting more out of your workday.

As employees become more connected to their workplaces without being physically present, the familiar elements of 9-5 schedules, cubicles, and conference rooms become more flexible tools of a workday.

For some workers, advancements in technology can eliminate the traditional work commute altogether. Through telework, workers can maintain—and often increase—their productivity while working from home. Telework benefits businesses by reducing the infrastructure demand for parking and office space, while also providing a valuable lifestyle benefit to high-quality, creative employees.

We provide employers with technical assistance to determine if teleworking is right for their business and employees, develop policies, and identify the technical capacities needed to successfully launch a program. We can also help you evaluate the success of your program and ensure employees remain productive and accountable even when they aren’t at their desks.