According to the CommuteSmart website, “One of the most common reasons people give for not trying to commute options is the fear of being stranded at work or unable to get home quickly in an emergency.”

This progrom will reimburse a taxi or car rental up to five times a year for people who must leave work, if they are registered with CommuteSmart carpool or vanpool program. These five incidents can only be cases of personal or family emergencies or unscheduled overtime at work.

The vanpooling program is available to a group of seven to 15 people who ride together in a passenger van. Each passenger pays an equal portion of the van payment, gasoline and parking fees.

Some businesses have  signed up to be partners with CommuteSmart to offer vanpooling for their employees, and some contribute toward the costs,  said Lindsay Durfee with CommuteSmart.

The following is a list of companies who are partnering with CommuteSmart to help employees lessen commuting expenses through vanpooling or carpooling. Some will actually pay the transportation expenses:

 
1    Infinity Insurance              
2    Protective Life           
3    VA Medical Center            
4    AL Power      
5    UAB      
6    Cousins Properties   

7    Baptist Health System                 
8    Golden Flake              
9    O'Neal Steel, Inc.             
10    Teletech Holdings                 
11    Colonial Properties              
12    Thompson Tractor              
13    Barber’s/Mayfield’s                
14    Capstone Companies                 
15    Children’s Health System              
16    SunGard                  
17    Birmingham Botanical Gardens                 
18    El Paso/Southern Natural Gas              
19    McWane Science Center              
20    Jefferson County Commission                
21    Wachovia                
22    Trinity Medical              
23    Birmingham Bike Club                 
24    T-Mobile                
25    Children's South                
26    Compass Bank              
27    Alabama Rivers Alliance                
28    Birmingham Coca Cola               
29    Jefferson State Comm College                 
30    Daniel Corporation                 
31    CAP City Action Partnership           
32    Cox Pool Services                 
33    Regional Planning Commission                 
34    Southern Progress                
35    Southern Company Services               
36    Birmingham Regional Chamber              
37    City of Trussville               
38    Birmingham News                 
39    Cooper Green Mercy Hospital                
40    Aldridge Botanical Gardens                
41    Alabama Gas Corporation               
42    Jefferson County Dept of Health                
43    Trane                
44    Southern Research Institute                 
45    BJCTA                
46    EBSCO Industries, Inc               
47    Princeton Baptist Medical Center                 
48    Samford University                
49    Homewood Rotary                
50    St. Vincent's Health System               
51    AL Clean Fuels Coalition          
52    WRATT Foundation                
53    Black Warrior Riverkeeper             
54    Vance US Courthouse              
55    Alabama Environmental Council                
56    Motion Industries                
57    Cobbs, Allen & Hall                 
58    BE&K                 
59    Cahaba River Society    N              
60    ALTEC                
61    URS - Washington Division                 
62    BUD'S BEST COOKIES