Ride to work with CityBus!

Kirby Risk and Wabash National employees can now enjoy free transportation to and from work, thanks to an employer-paid partnership with CityBus. 

The Ride to Work program will provide these companies with monthly bus passes that employees can use at no cost. Kirby Risk and Wabash National can purchase an unlimited number of passes for employees who are taking part in the initiative.

Ride to Work launched in 2017 as a pilot program at Kirby Risk, an electrical manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana. Before employees had free bus passes and reliable transportation, they’d have to walk to work in the rain and snow—or worry about finding a ride home. Now, CityBus riders have better job attendance, and Kirby Risk enjoys higher retention rates while finding a new way to show employees that their managers care about their well-being.

Today, Ride to Work is also available to employees at Lafayette’s Wabash National, a semi-trailer manufacturer. CityBus has plans to expand the program to even more local companies.

CityBus offers Ride to Work to any employer within their service area—which covers Lafayette and West Lafayette—and a small portion of the county.

“It’s a huge benefit to employers and employees alike, [as well as] an important way that CityBus is connecting people to opportunities,” said Bryce Gibson, CityBus manager of development. 

While the two companies share the same perk of free transportation, Ride to Work will look a bit different for each:

Kirby Risk Program

CityBus sells passes to Kirby Risk on consignment, which is a viable option for organizations with a smaller number of workers who would still benefit from free transportation. Employees simply need to drop by their administrative office and pick up a 31-day pass each month that they wish to take part in the program. Riders then show their monthly pass to the bus driver when boarding.

As an employer, Kirby Risk pays for each individual bus pass and purchases about 40 passes each month.

Wabash National Program

CityBus provides Wabash National with a universal access program, which makes the most sense for larger companies that can offer free transportation to many potential riders. This allows any Wabash National worker to ride for free with their work ID. Employees simply have to present their IDs to the bus driver upon boarding. They receive expiration stickers they must place on their IDs. The stickers expire at the end of each quarter; employees can then request another sticker for the next quarter.

As an employer, Wabash National pays a flat rate each year for the passes, and CityBus makes about 8,000 trips per month to the company and other locations. While many of the CityBus trips to and from Wabash National are work-related, employees can also use their work IDs to ride to places such as the grocery store, mall, and doctor’s office. The universal access program is a cost-effective perk that employers can leverage to attract new employees in a tight job market.

For more information on Ride to Work and CityBus routes, please visit our website at GoCityBus.com. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook!