Concerned about your commute? Get tips to simplify it Jan. 23

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brian harmon inside Brian Harmon, a research analyst III with HSIS who lives in Pelham and vanpools with CommuteSmartWant to save time on your commute while reducing air pollution? CommuteSmart wants to help. Participating UAB employees have reduced more than 10,000 vehicle miles since 2008, and new members are always welcome. The Translational Research for Injury Prevention Laboratory (TRIP Lab) is hosting an information session about CommuteSmart 2-3:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in Hill Student Center 314.

Those who participate in the initiative’s GetGreen program can receive up to $70 in the first 90 days for logging their alternative commutes — carpooling, walking, biking, teleworking or using the bus.

After that, participants can join the Commuter Club; members with 20 or more alternative commutes during a three-month period can earn a $25 gift card for mass transit or local gas stations, Publix, CVS, the Summit, Cahaba Cycles and Express Oil Change — even Blazer Bucks.

Want to learn more about CommuteSmart? Join UAB’s TRIP Lab for an information session with the organization 2-3:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in Hill Student Center 314.

“CommuteSmart is a valuable resource for our employees who want to trade in their current commute for something more positive for their wallets and the environment,” said Brian Atkinson, program manager for transportation demand management at UAB.

Not only does CommuteSmart reward you for participating, but it will actively save members money on gas, wear-and-tear on vehicles, costs of parking permits and the time spent looking for a parking spot, said Brian Harmon, a research analyst III with HSIS who lives in Pelham and vanpools with CommuteSmart.

“In reality, CommuteSmart has actually freed me from the pressure of commuting,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot or pay for parking every month. Unless I’m the driver for the day, I don’t have to deal with nutty drivers, so when I get to work, I’m not tense, and many days I’m relaxed by the time I get home.”

“I don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot or pay for parking every month. CommuteSmart has actually freed me from the pressure of commuting.”

CommuteSmart has a plan for everything  —  including if you get sick at work, or if your child or family has an emergency. That’s where CommuteSmart’s Emergency Ride Home program comes into play. Available five times per year to anyone registered and actively participating, CommuteSmart will provide a free taxi or rental car service in the case of an emergency, like the time Harmon got the flu at work.

“I woke up feeling sick and went to work anyway, but at about 9 a.m. I was getting dizzy, running a high fever and almost hallucinating,” he said. “It was the first time I’d called the Emergency Ride Home service. By the time I talked to my boss and packed my belongings, there was a taxi at the front door to the building.”