This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
Working @ UB
Published: August 16, 2012

  • Save money on transit passes

    UB faculty and staff, depending on their bargaining unit, may be eligible to take part in NYS-Ride, a program that allows state employees to pay for certain work-related transportation—including mass transit—expenses on a pre-tax basis.

    NYS-Ride allows employees to save money by purchasing their transit passes—including NFTA passes serving all Metro bus and Metro Rail lines in Erie and Niagara counties—through pre-tax payroll deductions. The savings could be as much as 40 percent, depending on the purchaser’s tax bracket.

    Visit the NYS-Ride website to determine eligibility and to sign up for the program.

    NYS-Ride is sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations as a result of collective bargaining and administered by WageWorks Inc.

  • BNMC offers commuting incentives

    The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is launching a new campaign called GO BNMC that aims to improve employee access to greener, healthier and more economical commuting options, including walking, bicycling, Metro Rail and Bus, and carpooling or vanpooling.

    GO BNMC offers numerous benefits for employees who choose alternative ways to commute, including a guaranteed ride home program in which GO BNMC will pay for and make sure that a member who does not drive to work quickly gets wherever they need to be in case of an emergency, monthly smart commuting raffles in which members can win gift certificates to local restaurants, shops and entertainment centers, monthly raffles for a free 30-day Metro pass and memberships to Buffalo CarShare and Buffalo BikeShare.

    To further promote the initiative, GO BNMC is sponsoring a block party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 23 at 941 Washington St., behind the NFTA Allen/Medical Campus Station. Free and open to the public, the party will offer participants a chance to drive a Chevy Volt electric car, take a Pedicab bike taxi and grab lunch from the Whole Hog Food Truck.

    In addition to GO BNMC, sponsors of the block party are the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, NYSERDA and the New York State Department of Transportation.

    For more information or to sign up for GO BNMC, visit the initiative’s website.