What do we all need more of in our lives, yet is incredibly hard to find more of? Time and money. We’ve talked to a few people that have found that by taking the bus they’ve each saved time and money.

Saving Money

Sherry Miller from Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC says that the bus saves her money and the ride is relaxing…

“I believe that utilizing the AATA transit system is a great way to save a ridiculous amount of money that it would cost me to park my car in a structure to work downtown.  Also, I find that riding the bus in to the station from the Park & Ride in the morning is relaxing and non-stressful.  I’d recommend it to anybody.  I love my go!pass!”

Renee Twining, an Administrative Assistant at the University of Michigan Hospital, says that by parking at the Miller Park & Ride and taking the bus each day she saves money.  To buy a pass at the Hospital’s parking lot would be “minimum $600/year to just get close to hospital and then you have to take a commuter bus” to make the final leg of the journey.

Saving Time

Chris DeVries of the University of Michigan CBDSM says that the combination of taking the bus and walking into his office is a great energizing activity each day…

“Since my commute is long (45 miles one way), I have been using the Park & Ride lots, AATA, and walking to get to work. Riding the bus allows me to read the newspaper or a book before and after work – taking my mind off work for a few minutes. The walking also gets my blood flowing in the morning, so I am ready to go when I get in the office.”

Renee Twining said that she gets to read and enjoy her coffee on the ride in.“I LOVE taking the bus!  Relaxing, and I always make it to work on time.”

According to Eileen Chaivre, an Administrative Support Specialist at the City of Ann Arbor, “By the time I walk to the Ann Ashley parking structure, get to my car and get out of the structure, I am passing Pioneer High at the same time or only a few minutes before the bus would be dropping me off”.

Think about your commute and how changing a few habits could result in time and money saved each day.  If you take Miller Road or Main Street into downtown each morning, why not park at a Park & Ride Lot and have the bus take you in? If you’re looking for more information on how to use the Park & Ride lots, or want to know what Lot would be best for you, give us a call at 734-214-0100 or visit http://getdowntown.org/bus/park_ride.html

What if you are a manager of a busy downtown restaurant? You have a team of great employees, and you want to provide additional benefits to them, but that doesn’t mean you have to give each of them a bonus.

Providing go!passes is one way to do this but you already know about the unlimited bus rides the go!pass gives your employees. Maybe you’ve told your employees about the discounts you can get with a go!pass (10% off your coffee at Sweetwater’s or 20% off of an item at Ten Thousand Villages), but have you shared with them the discounted rate for the Night Ride ($1 with a go!pass)?

Do your employees know?

I spoke with Lisa Schramm of the Fleetwood Diner, as well as Carole Woods of Zingerman’s, and they both told me that the Night Ride has been a useful service for their employees.  Each of them took the extra step to publicize the Night Ride discount to your employees. Lisa said that she made a poster with the information on it, and Carole gave the information to a creative employee who made a clever, eye-catching poster and hung it on the inside of the employee’s bathroom stalls – where it was sure to get a little undivided attention.

A little creativity and an extra step, and let your employees know about all of the benefits that the go!pass has to offer.

The beginning of a New Year is a great time to say goodbye to old ways of doing things and hello to new ideas and approaches.  For many people, owning one or even two cars just doesn’t make sense anymore, especially living in such a pedestrian-friendly place as Ann Arbor.

So why not look at the advantages of a new concept—carsharing?  Carsharing allows you to have a car when you need one without having to pay the expense when you don’t.  The most popular carsharing business in the country is Zipcar.  Currently,  Zipcar has more than 20 cars in Ann Arbor, with 6 in downtown Ann Arbor and the rest on the University of Michigan campus.  In addition, Zipcar has cars in cities all over the country.

What do people use Zipcars for?  Zipcar members use cars for going shopping, attending meetings, popping over to events in other towns and much more.  One couple even used a Zipcar to drive to their honeymoon after getting married!

To use a Zipcar, you just become a member at zipcar.com/annarbor (if you are affiliated with the UM, go to zipcar.com/umich).  When you become a member, you’ll get a special credit-card sized zipcard in the mail.  Then, all you have to do is go on the Zipcar website, reserve a car when you want to use it, go to the car and tap your zipcard on the windshield.

When the doors open, hop inside, grab the keys (they are already in the car) and go about your business.  Need gas?  Every Zipcar has a gascard inside that you can use at any gas station to fill up the tank.  Hourly rates for Zipcars are as low as $8 an hour, and that includes the gas and 180 free miles!

Here are just a few reasons to become a member of Zipcar Ann Arbor

If you’re ready to try something new, visit zipcar.com/annarbor and sign up to be a Zipcar member today!

Attention Current Zipcar Members:

Help us think up more Old Way/New Way concepts.  We’ll be tweeting Old Way/New Way ideas (and putting them on our getDowntown Facebook page) throughout the month of January.   Share your ideas by tweeting, commenting on our page and posting to our blog.

Let’s say you have a nice bike and you’d like a safe and secure place to put it while you are working downtown.  Let’s say you want a nice dry place for your bike that guarentees it will stay out of the elements during the day.   Well, you are in luck because the getDowntown Program has a bunch of bike lockers located all throughout downtown that you can use to store your bike while you work.

Check out the bike locker section of our website for more details. Bike lockers are located in most of the parking structures downtown (including a new location at the Forest Parking Structure in the South U area).  They cost $60/year.  You get your own key and your own locker space.  You’ve got to work downtown to get one.  If this sounds good to you, contact getDowntown and we can do the rest.

When it comes to encouraging people to bike, bus, walk or carpool, no one sets a better example than your boss.  That’s why the getDowntown Program is taking a moment to highlight some downtown business managers who demonstrate a commitment to using sustainable transportation and encourage their employees to do the same.  These interviews provide insight into why these leaders use sustainable transportation, how it benefits their employees and much more.

Our first interview is with Bonnie Valentine, Business Lead, the Whole Brain Group.  The Whole Brain Group is a small women-owned business that provides custom web-based software for a variety of clients from academic institutions to hospitals.  The Whole Brain Group is based in downtown Ann Arbor.

Now, on with the interview . . .

Leading by Example: Bonnie Valentine, Business Lead, the Whole Brain Group.

getDowntown (gDt): Do you try to walk, bike, bus, carpool etc to work?
Bonnie Valentine (BV): My primary methods of transportation are a combination of walking and  the bus.  However, once I reach my downtown office I’ll carpool with  co-workers to meetings or events outside of downtown limits.

gDt: Why is  sustainable commuting important to you?
BV: My reasons for walking and using the bus to commute are many.  Most important to me is reducing my carbon footprint and setting an example to others that an automobile isn’t necessarily the answer for
transportation.

gDt:  What do you do to encourage others at your workplace to try biking, busing, walking, etc?
BV: Continue talking about my personal experiences from meeting other’s  during my commute.  Remind them of my dollar savings from reducing the  need of a second family car, insurance, gas, less parking tickets and  monthly parking expense.  Lead by example in working from home -  telecommuting – a couple days of week.

gDt:  Have all of the different transportation options there are to get to downtown benefited your employees and/or your business?  If so, how so?  If not, why not?
BV: The bus has assisted our employees getting to and from the Ann Arbor Office  on 5th Avenue/Washington.  In the past we had an employee that  commuted from Chelsea using the Chelsea Express Bus.  Many employees
telecommute – one employee from New York – and we use conference  phone, online tools (documents, chat, presentation) not only with employees, but clients on our national roster saving cost on air transportation.

gDt: What would be the single best thing that downtown Ann Arbor could do to make it easier for people to get downtown by biking, walking, busing, etc.?
BV: It would be great if the downtown A2 would create a partnership with a  local gym facility for biking commuters requiring a shower and  clothing change.  Possibly a discount or flash your pass to gain
access to showers and lockers at YMCA, UM, or other gyms.  My co-workers and I have biked in the past.  Our main hang up for not  continuing via bike transportation is due to our offices not having  showers.  It is hard to sit across from a client after an aerobic work- out.

gDt: What do you hear from your employees about what they would like to see related to commuting to work in downtown Ann Arbor?
BV: The Zipcar fleet was a nice addition, but the main issue continues to be parking downtown.  We can walk to a meeting location faster than signing up for Zipcar and then finding and paying for parking for
shuttling between client meetings.

gDt: What is the best thing about having your business downtown?
BV: The best thing about having a downtown office is the close proximity  to clients and networking events.  In addition, our office is the central meeting point for all employees.  We have employees from Yspilanti, Ann Arbor, and Dexter.

gDt: What would you like to see happen downtown in the next 10 years?
In the next ten years, I’d like to see a mass transit plan implemented with connections from downtown to access outside the City Limits of  Ann Arbor.  Including transportation hooks to move people across the townships of Ann Arbor into the current bus routes of downtown Ann Arbor.  Increase bus access moving across town on the edges of city limits via bus services without going downtown through the bus depot i.e. North Campus Plymouth Road to Arborland.

Possibly, have the AATA and AAPS work together to provide adequate transportation services to middle and high school (not elementary school) students access to school via public transportation methods.  Finally, I’d like delivery
vehicles which idle in the downtown streets and alleys be electric or a form of non-petro fuel to further reduce pollution and carbon.

gDt: What is one thing the getDowntown Program could do to help your employees with getting to work by busing, biking, walking etc?
BV: The getDowntown May Commuter Challenge is a great motivator to get employees using different methods of transportation.  Usually habits are formed after the 30 days that create lasting effects.  Maybe add
another Commuter Challenge against another town similar in size.

gDt: Any advice or words of wisdom for new businesses moving into downtown Ann Arbor?
BV: Words of advice for new businesses moving into downtown A2 are to consider incentives for employees to commute.  New employees generally look to receive compensation for having to pay for their parking downtown.  The employer can offer an incentive to employees who commute to by providing them a stipend for curbing their car.   Employers can offer telecommuting on certain days of the week.

FYI, I’ll be doing a presentation Friday at the Workantile Exchange (118 S. Main Street) from 11:30-1:00pm.  I’ll be telling you how not to be a slave to your car.

A little teaser:

In an uncertain world, only 1 thing is certain: you need to be prepared for uncertainty!

Come to this talk and you’ll learn how to be prepared for when gas prices go up to $8.00.  Or when your car breaks down.  Or when a blizzard buries your Pruis in 10 feet of snow.

Should be fun.

The bottom line: If you have a go!pass, you can now get $5 off any fall ‘09 session class at the Ann Arbor School of Yoga.  Read on for details, or just go and get your discount!

When it comes to exercise, I can be a little lazy.  You see, I used to take a yoga class on Packard.  It would take me about 15 minutes to bike to that class after work and then 25 minutes to get home after the class.   This trek got a little less pleasant as fall became winter and I was biking in the snow.

Then I discovered the Ann Arbor School of Yoga, located on Huron Street right across from the Ann Arbor YMCA.

Now I can easily  bike to my Yoga class after work and then get home in less that 10 minutes.

If you work downtown and are time conscious like me, but also want to do something great for your body, I highly recommend checking out the Ann Arbor School of Yoga (AASY).

To help sweeten the deal, AASY Instructor Laurie Blakeney is offering all current go!pass holders $5 off any fall session class. Just tell her you have a go!pass for the discount.

This fall, Laurie is offering a variety of classes from early morning, to lunch time, to evening.  Click here for the schedule.

If you want to check out a free class, come to an Open House either Wednesday, Sept 9th or Thursday Sept 10th from 5:30-7:30pm.

Do you live in the Chelsea or Canton area?

Would you like to be able to save money and end the hassle of driving your car to work downtown?

Then you might be interested in A2Express, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority’s Commuter Bus Service from Chelsea and Canton.

Best of all, because of a grant from the Ann Arbor DDA, your go!pass gets you 50% off the cost of fare on either A2Express Service!  That’s just $62.50 a month.

Learn more about the A2Express service by visiting www.a2express.org or by attending a special A2Express Open House on August 13th at the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce Offices (115 W. Huron, 3rd Floor).   Drop by anytime from 8-9am, 12-1pm, or 4:30-5:30pm on August 13th to learn more about A2Express and the new go!pass discount.

To download a flyer about the A2Express Open House, please click here.

As the July Fourth holiday approaches, I’d like to get a little patriotic on you.

I think many people would agree that Freedom and Independence are strong American values.  Who doesn’t want to be able to do what they want, when they want?  Who doesn’t want to be able to voice their opinion, show their support for an important cause, or dance in the streets?

And isn’t Freedom and Independence about having Choices?  And the Freedom to choose between as many options as you can?

That’s what getDowntown is trying to do out here, people!

I think many of us would agree we would rather not be a slave to our cars.  Instead, we would all like to be able to come and go as we please, regardless of if our car breaks down, we can no longer afford gas, etc.

That’s where getDowntown and programs like ours come in.  Because isn’t it nice to know that should your car break down, you’re not completely stranded?  And for the most part, no one really is.

If you live close to work in Ann Arbor  (like I do) if you don’t have your car, you can still bus, bike and walk.  You can even call up a friend or neighbor and hitch a ride with them.

If you don’t live close to work (like many of you do), that’s no reason to be a slave to your car.  Many people who commute find people to carpool with.  And all it takes is going on a rideshare website or talking to some of your friends, co-workers and neighbors.

And then you’re all set.  You can get anywhere you need to go using all sorts of transportation.  Which seems pretty nice to me.

That’s why I can’t understand why people are so hesitant to at least know their options.  Knowing that you could perhaps take the bus to work if your car breaks down seem like a nice safety net to me.  But it’s not always easy to get people to think about it, or even care, until they have to.

But I’ll tell you this.  There are lots of people living in Ann Arbor that know the Freedom and Independence that comes with knowing your options.  They know how to use the bus system (if they have to do so).  They have a Zipcar account.  They have a bike, just in case.  And they know a couple of friends or co-workers they can call in case they need a ride.  They’ve moved from being auto-dependent to auto-independent.

When you are auto-independent, you don’t have to be a slave to your car.  You can come and go as you please, with or without your car, and save money and get exercise at the same time.  Doesn’t that sound nice?

And all it takes is just a little effort on your part.  Can you try a different way to get to work one time a month?  Can you think of a list of people you might be able to share rides with every now and then?  On the more challenging front, can you consider living closer to where you work?  I know this one is hard for many people right now, but maybe it’s something you could think about.

Finally, as many of us know, sometimes our Freedom and Independence can be taken away.  Even if we don’t take advantage of every freedom we have, no one really likes to think about one of them being taken away.  So even if you never use the bus, or get on a bike, why not support these options?  If not for you, than for those in the world who only have freedom if they have these options.  Do it for the elderly, for those with disabilities, for teens, and for those who can’t stand the thought of harming the environment without reason.

Maybe you feel like you are a slave to your car and that pisses you off.  Well know that there are organizations out there that can advocate for you (including this one).  Let them, and your elected officials know how you feel.

So this July Fourth as you enjoy the weekend, remember all of those things that make America (and this region) great.  And perhaps spend a moment or two to think about how transportation fits into that picture.

This Commuter Challenge Success Story comes from Aimee over at the UM Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences (AOSS).  During the 2008 Challenge, Aimee went from never using the bus/walking to doing so 3 times per week.

So did she keep it up after the Challenge?  Here’s what Aimee has to say:

During this past winter I didn’t continue the warm-weather routine I described, but I still commute by bus regularly, and my husband bikes to work several times a week.

Participating in the Challenge last year made us realize we could probably do just fine with one car instead of two. We tried it for a month or so, did just fine, and happily sold our 16-year old second car in October.

We got some cash for the car, and are saving on insurance, registration, and repairs. I’ve used Zipcar once since then, which was almost free due to the UM sign-up rebate.

I do plan to return in May to my spring & summer bus/walking commute.

Want to save money?  Get some exercise?  Have fun?  Participate in the Commuter Challenge!