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Nearly 128,000 commuters now eligible for unlimited rides with Metropass

Allina Corp. tops list of participating employers with 16,000 employees

One positive result of skyrocketing fuel prices: More commuters are turning to Metro Transit to get to work.

And with good cause. Studies have proven the benefits of riding the bus or train to work. For most commuters, it’s cheaper, safer, more reliable timewise, and more environmentally friendly. You can leave the stress of driving at home, too.

Local companies are getting on the bandwagon in ever-larger numbers by offering their employees access to Metropass — an employer-subsidized program that can cut commuting costs in half for most riders.

Allina becomes largest participant

Allina Hospitals and Clinics recently became the region’s largest Metropass client when it finalized a contract with Metro Transit to make the unlimited-ride pass available to more than 16,000 employees.

Allina previously had contracts for employees at two subsidiaries and at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, which it owns, making passes available to about 7,500 eligible employees at those work sites.

Allina’s new contract expands the availability of Metropass to 16,240 employees, including those at Abbott Northwestern and United Hospitals, and Allina's new headquarters at Midtown Commons, home to the Chicago-Lake Transit Center.

Commuting by bus is easy for employees at Allina’s headquarters in Minneapolis (background). The offices are located at Midtown Exchange at Chicago and Lake Streets, where Metro Transit has a large transit station.

Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb praised Allina’s foresight and commitment to its employees. "By offering this benefit to all of its employees, Allina is raising the bar for progressive companies in the Twin Cities,” he said. “In this deal, everyone wins: the company, its employees, other drivers — by getting more cars off the road — and the region, by eliminating additional pollution from single-occupant vehicles.”

Employees pay just $25 monthly for unlimited rides

According to its contract, Allina will subsidize more than half of its employees’ monthly cost for Metropass. In fact, Allina employees will pay just $25 per month toward the company’s $69 monthly per-employee fee.

With the addition of Allina employees, Metropass is now available to more than 127,800 commuters at 141 companies regionwide. That's a 21 percent increase in companies from August 2005, and a 45 percent increase since August 2004.

Next to Allina, the largest regional employers offering Metropass are the University of Minnesota — with 13,800 eligible faculty and staff — and Hennepin County, with 12,540 eligible staff.

The program began in October 1998 with the first contract signed to Ameriprise, known then as American Express Corp.