Get There Rewards Membership for Bend Employers: Start an Employee Commute Incentive Program

Commuting is one of the few daily costs employees carry on their own and one of the few workplace issues employers can improve without restructuring anything. For businesses in Bend and across Central Oregon, the Get There Rewards Membership offers a straightforward way to encourage carpooling, biking, walking, transit, and remote work, and to reward employees for choosing a more sustainable commute.

We built the program for organizations that want a commuter benefit without building one from scratch. Employees track their trips, earn points, and redeem gift cards. Employers get participation data and a visible sustainability commitment. This guide explains how the Get There Rewards Membership works, what it costs, and how Oregon employers get started.

What the Get There Rewards Membership Includes

The Get There Rewards Membership is a business and organization program. It runs on Get There Connect, the trip-logging platform behind Get There Oregon, which is led by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Transportation Options Program alongside local partners statewide.

Membership works in three steps:

• Join the program. Sign up your team and start earning points on eco-friendly commutes.
• Earn points. Employees accumulate points by biking, walking, carpooling, vanpooling, taking public transit, or working remotely.
• Redeem rewards. Points convert to gift cards usable at stores nationwide through Tango Card.

 

If you are an individual rather than an employer, the membership is not the right fit. You can create a Get There Connect account for carpool matching in your area or join one of our Get There Challenges.

How Employees Earn and Redeem Rewards

The reward structure is simple. Employees earn a $20 gift card once they accumulate 30 points. Redemptions are electronic and sent directly to the employee.

Remote work counts. Employees who work from home can log the miles they saved and add those to their point totals, which makes the program workable for hybrid teams as well as fully on-site ones.

Alongside the rewards, employees can see the practical results of their choices. Get There Connect tracks personal savings, calories burned, and reduced CO₂ emissions, so the benefit is visible in more than one way.

Why an Employee Commute Incentive Program Makes Sense for Bend Employers

Bend and the surrounding Central Oregon communities have real commute patterns worth addressing: employees working similar shifts, traffic congestion, and a workforce that already values active transportation. An employee incentive program for commuting gives that existing interest some structure.

Here is what employers gain:

• Simplified ride-sharing. The Get There Connect platform is secure and intuitive, making it easy for employees to find carpool or vanpool matches. Employees on the same shift are often the easiest matches to make.
• A measurable positive impact. Your team can monitor savings, health benefits, and reduced carbon footprint, which gives you tangible evidence of your workplace’s contribution.
• Employee well-being. Active commuting supports healthier, happier employees and reduces the stress that comes with traditional commutes.
• A stronger sustainability profile. Offering a commuter incentive demonstrates environmental responsibility and helps attract and retain people who value sustainable practices.

 

Employers who need a larger-capacity solution can also look at our Vanpool program. A vanpool is a prearranged group of 4 to 13 people sharing a ride to and from work on a regular schedule, with the vehicle, insurance, roadside assistance, and carpool matching provided. Vanpools need to start or finish in one of our partnering counties, including Deschutes.

Tools for Program Managers

Each member organization designates an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) who handles program coordination and promotion internally. Commute Options will handle reward distribution and tech support for users. Becoming a Get There Manager unlocks the administrative side of the platform, where you can:

• View statistics
• Manage members
• Generate detailed reports

 

Points are recorded automatically for employees of partner organizations, so the rewards side runs without manual tracking. Your ETC’s main job is communication: launching the program internally, answering questions, and keeping participation visible.

Program Support for Partner Organizations

Partner organizations receive support across the full program, including simplified trip tracking, carpool matching, biking buddies, transit information, telework and compressed workweek options, and automated reward records.

What the Get There Rewards Membership Costs

Cost is based on the number of employees actively participating. Each active employee costs the participating business $25 annually.

Billing follows a clear schedule:

New member businesses. We assess the number of active employees three months after your initial registration and bill $25 per active employee at that time. A re-evaluation happens after six months. If the number of active employees has increased, an additional $25 per new employee applies.

Annual billing. This occurs every January. Active employees are counted in December of the prior year, and your business is invoiced $25 per active employee to continue into the new year.

Mid-year billing. This process occurs every June. If the number of active employees has increased since annual billing, you are invoiced $25 for each new employee added.

Building a Program That Lasts

Membership works best when it connects to the rest of your workplace culture. A few approaches we see succeed in Bend:

Launch alongside a challenge

Timing your rollout with a Get There Challenge gives employees a reason to create their account and log that first trip.

Support the commute modes your team actually uses

If several employees ride e-bikes or are considering one, our E-Bike Safety Course supports them with e-bike safety education.

Make participation visible

Share collective stats from your manager dashboard in team meetings or internal newsletters. Progress that people can see tends to keep people engaged.

Getting Started

Commute Options was established in 1991, and our vision is communities using safe, convenient, and reliable transportation options that result in healthier individuals, a cleaner environment, and a stronger economy. The Get There Rewards Membership is one of the most direct ways for an Oregon employer to contribute to that.

If you would like to talk through how the program would work for your team, we are happy to put together a tailored plan. Reach us at 541-668-6138 or through our contact page, and we will walk you through enrollment, billing, and what to expect in your first year.