HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- With increasing prices on the minds of many, those employed by the DoD may find some relief at the fuel pump through an existing public transit commuter program.
The program, officially called the Mass Transportation Benefit Program, or MTBP, has more than 450 participants and more than 80 Utah Transit Authority vans that run on base. Vans have various pick up and drop off locations, including FrontRunner stations close to the base.
Ricky Clausing, who oversees the program at Hill, said people who use the program are pleased with it.
He said the benefits of using the program include saving money on gas and car insurance, enjoying a stress free commute, reducing wear and tear on a personal vehicle, not having to fight traffic and being able to spend commute times doing more enjoyable activities than driving.
The purpose of the program is to encourage commuting by mass transportation and provide incentives to employees with little to no out-of-pocket expenses. The program provides reimbursement for transit commuting costs in order to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution and expand commuting alternatives.
Eligible participants receive a subsidy for their commuting expenses while using qualified means of transportation, which at Hill means using the FrontRunner and/or joining a UTA vanpool since there are no UTA buses that run on the base. The subsidy is issued to participants on a debit card that is used to pay the local transit provider.
In order to participate in the program, an applicant must be a DoD federal employee – a civilian, military member or non-appropriated fund employee who is paid and employed by the Defense Department.
Program enrollees must commute a minimum of 10 days (or 50%) each month to qualify, so while temporary duty, leave and telework to not count as a commute, there is flexibility to drive when there is a need.
For more information about the program, visit https://www.hill.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/837849/mass-transportation-benefit-program/.
(This article was originally published in July 2019 and was updated with current program details.)