Commuter & Rider Benefits
Low Travel Cost
East Bay Day Pass
By using a Clipper card, you can take as many trips as you want in a single day on County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, WestCAT, and Wheels buses and never pay more than $3.75. Simply tag your Clipper card each time you ride, and once you’ve paid $3.75, the rest of the day’s rides are automatically free on all four systems. If you have a Senior Clipper or RTC card, your fare gets capped at just $1.75 a day. Visit County Connection’s website to learn more about the East Bay Day Pass.
East Bay Regional 31-Day Pass: $60
When you purchase the East Bay Regional Adult 31-Day Pass on your Clipper Card, it’s good for rides on County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, Wheels, and WestCAT local buses for a rolling 31 days. Your 31 days of rides start the first time you tag your Clipper card on the bus after loading the pass.
East Bay Regional Express 31-Day Pass: $70
Unlimited rides on County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, WestCAT (except Lynx) and Wheels express and local routes for 31 days.
Pre-Tax Programs
What are Commuter Benefits?
If you ride Tri Delta Transit (or BART, ferry, or vanpool) to work, you could be saving money on your commuting expenses. The federal government allows employees to deduct up to $265 per month from their paychecks, pre-tax, to pay for transit and vanpool expenses.
A Win-Win for Employees and Employers
Employees save by using pre-tax dollars for their commute expenses. Employers get the advantage of reduced payroll taxes and a popular benefit program that is easy and inexpensive to administer.
Thousands of employers in the Bay Area and across the country are offering commuter benefits to their employees. You could be taking advantage of this savings, too!
We all Benefit
By providing significant cost savings, commuter benefits encourage the use of public transit and vanpools to get to work. This relieves traffic congestion and reduces air pollution, making East Contra Costa County a better place to live.
How Commuter Tax Benefits Work
Bay Area employers with 50 or more employees are now required to register and offer commuter benefits to their employees in order to comply with the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program. Please visit www.511.org or call 511 and say “Commuter Benefits”. All programs are run through employers, not through BART, so please contact your employer to see what options are available.
The Federal tax code also allows the use of tax-free dollars to pay for transit commuting and parking costs through employer-sponsored programs. Commuter tax benefits are regulated by the Internal Revenue Code, Section 132(f)—Qualified Transportation Fringe.
The tax code allows tax-free transportation fringe benefits of up to $265 per month per employee for transit expenses and up to $265 per month for qualified parking (including parking at BART stations.) Qualified parking is defined as parking at or near an employer’s worksite, or at a facility from which employee commutes via transit, vanpool or carpool). Commuters can receive both the transit and parking benefits.
Companies can offer:
- A tax-free employer-paid subsidy
- A pre-tax employee-paid payroll deduction
- A combination of both of the above.
Employee Savings
Employees who set aside income on a pre-tax basis for a qualified transportation fringe benefit do not pay federal income or payroll taxes on the income set aside. For example, if you have a combined (local, state, federal) tax rate of 40% and spend $265 per month on public transit, you will save $104 each month or $1,248 a year.
If an employer chooses instead to subsidize the benefit it is actually more valuable than an equivalent raise because of the tax advantages.
Employer Savings
Providing pre-tax commuter tax benefits to employees can save payroll taxes for employers. The value of the benefit paid to employees is considered a tax-free transportation fringe benefit and not wage or salary compensation, therefore, payroll taxes do not apply. Employers can save roughly 7.5% in payroll taxes (including FICA, SUI, SDI and city taxes) on the amount employees set aside. If the employer chooses to offer the benefit in addition to the employee’s monthly salary, giving an employee $265 in transit benefits is less expensive for an employer than increasing the employee’s salary by $265.
How to Get Started
Commuter Benefit programs are easy for your employer to implement. The following links will take you to some of the providers who can work with employers to make the appropriate arrangements. In addition, benefit management companies such as ADP, Ceridian, SHPS, Fringe Benefits Management, etc. can assist many employers with the implementation of a Commuter Tax Benefits program.
CommuterCheck
commuterbenefits.com
(800) 727-9436
Wage Works
wageworks.com/mycommutercard
(866) 602-3887
Tranben, Ltd.
tranben.com
1-877-TRANSBEN
CBS Administrators, LLC
cbsadmin.com
(866) 770-0404
Local Discounts
Save Money with the Bus Pass Savings Program
Save money at dozens of restaurants and shops throughout eastern Contra Costa County with your valid Tri Delta Transit Day Pass, 20-Ride Pass or 31-Day Pass. Just show your valid bus pass at participating Bus Pass Savings Businesses and you can save up to 50% on great food and entertainment. You might even save more money than you paid for the pass!
It’s just another great reason to ride Tri Delta Transit!
Use your pass at these great locations: