Annual Registration Process for All Affected Agencies and Departments
The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program (Program) is administered by a partnership between the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in accordance with Regulation 14, Rule 1: Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program. The Program began as a pilot program in 2014 and became permanent in 2016. It includes the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma). Agencies and departments with any worksites with employees in these counties must comply with this Program.
Agency/Department Responsibilities
All affected agencies and departments shall
- Annually notify all affected employees about the commuter benefit options available to them. For additional details about the employee notice requirements, please review CalHR's Sample Notice and the Program's Employer Guide (page 5). Please note that, for represented employees, their bargaining contracts may contain relevant language.
- On an ongoing basis, notify new hires about the commuter benefit options available to them.
- Electronically submit the following completed documents to CalHR at travelmanager@calhr.ca.gov by February 28, 2025:
Please note that Regulation 14, Rule 1: Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program provides the following definitions for the “full-time employee" and “covered employee" fields included on the annual report template:
Covered Employee: An employee who performed an average of at least 20 hours of work per week within the previous calendar month within the geographic boundaries of the District, excluding a seasonal/temporary employee, which is defined as an employee who works for the employer 120 days or less within the calendar year.
Full-time Employee: An employee who performed an average of at least 30 hours of work per week within the previous calendar month within the geographic boundaries of the District, excluding a seasonal/temporary employee, which is defined as an employee who works for the employer 120 days or less within the calendar year.
CalHR Responsibilities
While CalHR is not the administrator of this program, CalHR annually registers as the single statewide employer for all affected state agencies and departments. In its role as the single statewide employer, CalHR is responsible for the following:
- Compiling and submitting the annual report data provided by the affected agencies and departments.
- Maintaining records in accordance with Program requirements based on the data submitted by these agencies and departments to document how and when employees were notified about their commuter benefits.
State agencies and departments may contact travelmanager@calhr.ca.gov for additional clarification.
