Re/CAP Column: Meet Downtown Connects
In our first edition of Re/CAP, a blog and newsletter series that spotlights CAP staff and projects, we’re turning an eye toward transportation.
As someone who commutes to Downtown for work or school, you might be tired of getting stuck in traffic. And if you’re a Downtown employer, you may be hoping to improve your company’s productivity and morale when it comes to commuter woes. In both instances, that’s where Downtown Connects steps in to provide solutions.
Downtown Connects, a program of Central Atlanta Progress, provides free assistance to Downtown employers and property managers to ease their employees’ commutes and implement transportation solutions at their worksite. We encourage folks to take advantage of all of their travel options, and thankfully Downtown is one of the most accessible parts of the city!
As a result, employees can reclaim time, save money, and reduce commuting stress by utilizing sustainable commute alternatives such as transit, biking, carpooling, walking or telework.
Downtown Connects’ complimentary employer and property manager services include:
- Discounted Transit Pass program—20% monthly discount on MARTA Breeze Cards
- Worksite analysis detailing your company’s transportation accessibility and how your employees get to work
- Relocation consulting and personalized employee route planning
- FlexWork consulting
- Commuter incentives and outreach services to educate employees about transit options, regional transit promotions, and financial incentives for clean commuting
Through the hard work of 80+ company program participants, Downtown Connects has helped companies in the center city attract and retain employees, as well as significantly reduce traffic, pollution, and vehicle miles traveled. In 2018 alone, there were:
- 25,573,019 Vehicle Miles Reduced for TMA partners + transit pass program participants
- 80 employers participate in the discounted transit pass program, 55 of those are considered employer partners that receive additional programming.
- 32,121 transit passes sold in 2018 (10% increase from 2017)
- 25% average percentage of annual clean commutes for our partners
- 1,284,149 transit trips
- 19,436 employees serviced
- 57,810 carpool trips
- 18,089 bike trips
- 4,550 walking trips
- 9,118 telework days utilized
Additionally, the Downtown Connects team produces a weekly e-newsletter called The Downtown Navigator that provides updates on impacts to traffic and travel, including construction, road closures, and large-scale special events.
If your company is interested in learning more about our services, please reach out to us at Connects@AtlantaDowntown.com or visit our website.
Save the Date: Downtown Connects is hosting the Downtown Walk Challenge May 13-17. Complete challenges and explore Downtown on foot for a chance to win cool prizes.
About Re/CAP: Our new Re/CAP series is inspired by a past CAP newsletter program called "Re/CAP," which launched in spring 1968. Check out a clipping from April 1968 here.
