Commute.org

Commute.org (formally the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance) is the transportation demand management (TDM) agency for San Mateo County, California, United States. Structured as a public joint powers agency, Commute.org is governed by a 19-member board made up of elected officials from 19 cities and towns as well as the County of San Mateo. In addition to the Board of Directors, there are also standing committees, Supervisory and Finance, which provide guidance and oversight to the agency.

Commute.org

Parent	Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance
Founded	2000 (2000)
Headquarters	South San Francisco, California
Service area	San Mateo County, California
Service type	Shuttle bus
Routes	20
Operator	MV Transportation
Website	www.commute.org

Commute.org's programs, which it promotes through employer relationships as well as directly to commuters, “focus on reducing single occupancy vehicle travel in San Mateo County, particularly during peak commute hours.” The agency receives funding from the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), as well as private sector employers and property managers.

As of 2023, Commute.org is certified as a Green Business and a Best Workplaces for Commuters.

Background

Commute.org was founded in 2000. In 2016, the agency launched STAR (Support, Track and Reward), a web-based platform for managing commuter trip data and rewards, powered by the company RideAmigos. At the end of fiscal year 2019 there were over 12,000 commuters with STAR accounts, and a cumulative 700,000 trips had been logged on the platform since its launch.

In March 2014, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission ratified Regulation 14, Rule 1, also known as the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program. The Commuter Benefits Program, developed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, requires Bay Area employers with 50 or more full-time employees to register and offer commuter benefits to their employees. One of Commute.org's roles is assisting employers in complying with the regulation.

Other local projects that intersect with Commute.org's congestion reduction work include Caltrain electrification, the Highway 101 Managed Lanes project, and SamTrans’ Express Bus service.

Commute.org was founded in 2000. In 2016, the agency launched STAR (Support, Track and Reward), a web-based platform for managing commuter trip data and rewards, powered by the company RideAmigos. At the end of  2023 there were over 8,184 commuters with STAR accounts, and a cumulative 1.4 Million trips had been logged on the platform since its launch.

In March 2014, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission ratified Regulation 14, Rule 1, also known as the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program. The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program, developed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, requires Bay Area employers with 50 or more full-time employees to register and offer commuter benefits to their employees. One of Commute.org's roles is assisting employers in complying with the regulation.

Other local projects that intersect with Commute.org's congestion reduction work include Caltrain electrification, the Highway 101 Managed Lanes, and SamTrans’ Express Bus service.

Programs

Commute.org manages a wide range of TDM programs, including working with employers as well as directly incentivizing and rewarding commuters.

Employer services include offering information, tools, consulting, commute surveying, and bike safety workshops for employers of all types, including schools, non-profits, government agencies, and private companies. This is in part to help employers achieve compliance with the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program. In 2024, Commute.org launched the Employer Recognition Program, which acknowledges and celebrates employers in San Mateo County who actively engage with Commute.org. By participating in the program, employers can earn points for their engagement and achieve certification, with the common goal of encouraging sustainable commuting.

Commute.org’s commuter programs, which it manages through its web-based platform STAR, include Carpool rewards, Vanpool Rewards, Bicycle to Work Rewards, Try Transit free Clipper Card preloaded with a $25 value, Guaranteed Ride Home, and quarterly challenges.

Every spring, Commute.org sponsors the San Mateo County Commuter Challenge. The challenge takes place throughout the months of April and May and encourages people to try alternative methods of commuting through widespread outreach efforts as well as weekly and grand prize raffle prizes for participating commuters. The challenge coincides with the annual Bay Area Bike to Work Wherever Day in May.

Commute.org also works with developers. In 2024, they launched the Certified Development Program, which is designed to provide developers with projects in San Mateo County with a formal certification of their active participation in Commute.org programs and services. Active participation may be a requirement for developments that are subject to the C/CAG Countywide TDM Policy and may also be a TDM requirement imposed on developers by jurisdictions that are not subject to the C/CAG policy. The goal of the program is to provide developers access to a set of TDM programs and services that can be integrated into the other tools they will use to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and trip counts to new commercial, residential, or mixed-use developments in San Mateo County. Commute.org also helps with monitoring and reporting of the C/CAG Countywide TDM Policy, which went into effect on January 1, 2022.

Shuttle Service

Commute.org manages 20 shuttle routes that provide first/last mile transportation between transit stations and worksites in San Mateo County. The shuttles are operated by MV Transportation and the program is funded through a combination of grants from agencies and funds from private employers, property managers, and sponsoring cities. Grant providers include the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA), and SamTrans.

Routes

Commute.org Shuttle Routes

Route Name	Route Code	City	Connecting Transit Provider(s)
Redwood LIFE Caltrain	RLC	Redwood City	Caltrain
Brisbane-Bayshore Caltrain	BBC	Brisbane	Caltrain
Burlingame Bayside Area	BAY	Burlingame/Millbrae	BART & Caltrain
Hillsdale Caltrain Commuter	HCC	San Mateo	Caltrain
Brisbane-Crocker Park BART	BCP	Brisbane	BART & Caltrain
Midpoint-Redwood City	MPT	Redwood City	Caltrain
Millbrae-Burlingame Commuter	MBC	Burlingame/Millbrae	BART & Caltrain
North Foster City	NFC	Foster City/Millbrae	BART & Caltrain
One Tower Place	OTP	South San Francisco	BART & Caltrain
Oyster Point BART	OPB	South San Francisco	BART
Oyster Point Caltrain	OPC	South San Francisco	Caltrain
Oyster Point Ferry	OPF	South San Francisco	San Francisco Bay Ferry
Seaport Center	SEA	Redwood City	Caltrain
Utah-Grand BART	UGB	South San Francisco	BART
Utah-Grand Caltrain	UGC	South San Francisco	Caltrain
Utah-Grand Ferry	UGF	South San Francisco	San Francisco Bay Ferry

Equity

Commute.org’s 2025 Strategic Plan (adopted in 2021) put forth a statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion and set a strategic objective to integrate equity principles across all programs. In 2022, Commute.org convened an Equity Task Force to help establish Equity Strategies and collected and analyzed data to determine which commuter and industry groups were being underserved by their programs. In 2023, they did outreach to target demographics, geographies, and industries to gather insights to improve and expand on current programs and enhance outreach on existing services. They also improved the language accessibility on their website, STAR platform, and in flyers and social media. In 2024, they awarded three grants via the Community Partner Grant Program to community groups in San Mateo County to increase outreach and awareness about Commute.org’s free programs and services, particularly to communities underrepresented in the agency’s programs.