Perimeter CIDs Launch ‘Rapid Ride’ to Expand Commuter Access with Vanpool Program

The Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (Perimeter CIDs), in partnership with Commute with Enterprise and in conjunction with the long-standing vanpool program through the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (ATL), has launched Rapid Ride, a new vanpooling pilot program designed to provide employees commuting to the Perimeter area with a cost-effective and dependable transportation alternative.

Developed in response to shifting regional transit patterns, Rapid Ride offers a new option for how metro Atlanta workers can access one of the Southeast’s most concentrated employment centers. The program supports longer-distance travel by forming shared rides based on where participants live and when they work.

“Our goal is to keep Perimeter connected to the regional talent pool while offering more practical and affordable options for employees and employers alike,” said Ann Hanlon, Executive Director of the Perimeter CIDs. “Rapid Ride represents an investment in reliable access to jobs, especially for those who cannot access existing transit options due to home locations or work schedules.”

Affordable, All-Inclusive Commute for Perimeter Employees

Each Rapid Ride vanpool brings together 4 to 8 riders with similar schedules and home locations. Riders pay a flat monthly fare of $75, which covers all vehicle expenses, including insurance, fuel, maintenance, and roadside assistance. Express Lane access is also included.

The low-cost commuting option is made possible through funding from the Perimeter CIDs, which has committed over $380,000 to subsidize vanpool costs. The ATL also supports commuters with a regional vanpool program, assisting with formation and offsetting some of the associated costs. This partnership will reduce vanpool startup costs and subsidize the monthly fare for riders, allowing participants to pay a fraction of the $170 monthly out-of-pocket expenses that commuters across the nation typically face (Coast, The Cost of Commuting Around the U.S.).

Perimeter Connects, the Perimeter CIDs’ commute program, in partnership with Commute with Enterprise, will manage the Rapid Ride program by working with employers and commuters to match riders and form vanpools based on where people live and when they work.

“We’re launching the program as a pilot, but our goal is long-term impact and a lasting option for the Perimeter market,” said Nikki Washington, Perimeter Connects Program Manager. “We help match employees into vanpools based on where they live and when they work, so the service fits into their routine. It’s a simple way to make commuting more affordable and accessible.”

“Vanpooling gives commuters time back in their day and helps them save on transportation costs,” said Sirus Karimi, Vice President of Commute with Enterprise. “We work closely with employers and public agency partners to offer convenient vanpool programs that support more sustainable commuting, help fill transit service gaps, and reduce congestion while helping employers offer a competitive benefit that can attract and retain talent.”

 

Sign-Ups Now Open for Pilot Routes

Rapid Ride is now accepting sign-ups. Service will launch in corridors with the highest levels of interest from employees traveling to Perimeter.

For more information or to register interest, visit: www.perimeterconnects.com/perimeter-rapid-ride.

 

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About Perimeter Community Improvement Districts

For more than two decades, the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (Perimeter CIDs) has been leading the charge to bring vital transportation improvements that enhance mobility and access within the Perimeter district, an “edge city” where Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and Brookhaven converge. Representing both the DeKalb (Central) Perimeter CID and Fulton Perimeter CID, the Perimeter CIDs are self-taxing districts that useadditional commercial property taxes to help accelerate needed transportation and infrastructure improvement projects. 

Learn more: PerimeterATL.com/perimeter-cids/.

About Commute with Enterprise Part of Enterprise Mobility

Commute with Enterprise is one of the largest and most cost-effective vanpool providers in the U.S. In 2024, Commute with Enterprise served more than 60,000 commuters, took more than 50,000 single-occupancy vehicles off the road each day, helped eliminate more than 1 billion commuter miles in the U.S, and reduced 405,000+ metric tons of tailpipe CO2e*. This commuting solution offers customizable vanpool programs to help overcome commuting and transit desert challenges.

*Estimates based on 2023 Enterprise reporting and U.S EPA Calculator, and assuming participants previously drove alone.

About ATL (Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority):

The ATL was created by the Georgia General Assembly during the 2018 legislative session to provide coordinated transit planning and funding for the metro Atlanta region. The ATL is responsible for developing the ATL Regional Transit Plan, as well as identifying and prioritizing the projects and initiatives required to develop region-wide transit. The ATL is also charged with creating a unified regional transit system brand. Effective July 1, 2020, the ATL was legislatively authorized to oversee the state’s Xpress regional commuter transit system and the Atlanta region’s vanpool system. The population of metro Atlanta is growing rapidly and projected to add an additional 2.5 million residents by 2040. The ATL is a critical step towards more efficient and effective transit and mobility in the region. 

For more information on Xpress and the ATL, visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

PATH400…Becoming the PATH More Travelled

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Although it’s not easy to see from the road, the PATH400 Greenway Trail construction is continuing north, and will soon provide more options for commuters heading to the Perimeter.  Created by Livable Buckhead, the trail provides a multi-use path for bikers and walkers that parallels GA 400.  Sections of the trail around Miami Circle are already getting use, even though they don’t lead anywhere yet, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC).  By next Spring, the Miami Circle path will connect through to Peachtree Park.

Biking and walking to work in the Piedmont Park area has become more popular since the BeltLine opened five years ago.  The car-free route from Piedmont Park to Inman Park is busy with commuters, strollers, and recreational walkers and cyclists.  Businesses nearby have benefitted from the BeltLine as well.  Soon, commuters on the North side will experience this as well.

Ty Tagami, of the AJC, writes, “The next segments of the PATH400 will cut through scrub woods along the verge of Ga. 400 and MARTA’s north-south line. About half of the Buckhead portion of the 5.2 mile trail is paved. Future sections will carry it through Sandy Springs to Dunwoody, adding a couple more miles.”

The BeltLine doesn’t just bring improved commute options.  The PATH400 has become a place for community involvement and expression, through greenspaces, pocket parks, and more.  Check out these highlights of PATH400:

• May the force be with your bike commute. If you haven’t travelled along PATH400’s newest sections in Buckhead, you can get a great visual tour of the paths and Star Wars art HERE, thanks to Josh Green of Curbed Atlanta.

• The PATH gets greener with gardening. During the construction of PATH400, workers discovered an unofficial community garden along the route.  The garden was created by residents of the Atlanta Housing Authority’s nearby Marian Road high-rise.  PATH400 leaders were inspired to take this gardening to the next level, according to Tracy Paden of Livable Buckhead’s “The Dirt.”  Thanks to residents of that community, Livable Buckhead, the Atlanta Office of Sustainability, and local employers, more than 30 volunteers worked to create vegetable planter beds that spell out PATH400.  The beds will be maintained by Marian Road high-rise residents.  Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, the nonprofit organization spearheading PATH400 in Buckhead, said “We love that spirit, and we wanted to bring it into the project in a way that engages the local community and creates a unique amenity for this area.”

For Perimeter workers, PATH400 will provide more flexibility for commutes to work and increased mobility options.  It will also improve commutes during the work day – imagine cycling down the BeltLine for a meeting, to grab lunch, or just get in a mid-day workout!  We’ll keep you posted on all the PATH400 progress, so stay tuned![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Commuters Go Green & Earn Some Green

Go green

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s Like Having a Benefits Plan That Costs You Nothing. Georgia Commute Options provides incentives that are a real boost to your company’s benefits plan.  When your team members choose a commute alternative, like riding transit or carpooling, they can get rewarded with valuable perks.  You can promote these perks to jumpstart a green commuting program at your worksite.  It’s a win-win for employers and employees!

Prizes Tailored to the Commuter.  Do you have a group of avid bike commuters at your company?  Do many of your employees live in one or two areas?  Do you have parking issues that might be remedied by a carpool program?  Georgia Commute Options provides an array of prize programs to fit your green commuters:

•Gimme Five: New green commuters get $5 a day for trying an alternative commute, up to $150 over a 90-day period!

•Save Your Commute: Win a $25 gift card for logging your green commute.  The more you report, the more chances you have to win in the monthly drawings!

•More Passengers = More Gas $: Carpools with three or more passengers qualify for $40 gas cards.  Add a fourth rider to your carpool team and you’re eligible for $60 gas cards…one every month for three years!  That’s up to $2,160 in gas card rewards!

•Add a Vanpooler, Get $50: Not only are vanpools a great way to save money, they’re a great way to earn money too!  Refer a new member to a vanpool, and you’ll get $50.  Leaving your vanpool?  Find a replacement rider and get $100!

•Guaranteed Ride Home: With Guaranteed Ride Home, there’s less excuses for not taking a green commute.  Established transit riders, carpoolers, vanpoolers, and cyclists can receive a paid trip home if an emergency arises (such as a sick child or unexpected overtime).

Promoting these incentives during staff meetings, new hire orientations (Check out our New Hire Flyer!), and through employee communications will strengthen your commute options program at your worksite.  Need assistance implementing a new program?  Perimeter Connects is here to help.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]