ACT 2014 BWI Business Partnership

1. Association for Commuter Transportation
2014 Conference – San Francisco
August 5, 2014
Ben Cohen
Assistant Director, Transportation & Workforce Programs

2. About the Partnership
Founded in 1985 as
The Greater BWI Commuter Assistance Center -
the same year that Ronald Reagan
began his second term as President,
Bill Gates introduced Windows 1
and a new Toyota cost less than $5000!

4. Our Evolution
In 1993, we changed our name to The BWI
Business Partnership, reflecting our broader role
in economic development.
Today, our activities also include workforce
development and tourism, though we have never
forgotten our core mission as a TMA!

5. The Benefits of Transit
We are believers – and we know that you are, too!
Why?
• Transit connects wage earners to job centers
• Transit saves employers on high turnover costs,
accrues payroll taxes and helps keep potential benefit
recipients off of public assistance

6. Working with Employers
Along with our role as the county’s rideshare
agency, The Partnership’s Share Getting There
team works very closely with three of
Maryland’s largest employment centers …

7. Fort George G. Meade

8. BWI Marshall Airport

9. Arundel Mills Mall & Maryland Live! Casino

10. Our Shuttle Programs
In FY14, the Partnership currently oversaw several
shuttle projects that connect transit-dependent
workforce to their worksites throughout Central
Maryland:
❶ The LINK Shuttle ❸ Work on Wheels
❷The Sunrise Shuttle ❹ The MillsRide Shuttle

11. The LINK Shuttle
At Ft. Meade, we’ve been running a shuttle for
the state’s largest employer for over 20 years.
The LINK Shuttle connects this Federal agency’s
main campus to two commuter transit hubs and
four satellite worksites, all within twelve miles of
its main campus.

12. The LINK Shuttle
The LINK Shuttle is a successful Public/Private
Partnership in action!
Through Executive Order #13415, this DoD
agency is able to use Federal funds to establish
a shuttle to mass transit hubs for their
employees.

13. The Sunrise Shuttle
For the past eight years, we have been working
with BWI Marshall Airport administration and
airport employers to improve job-access on
Sunday and Holiday mornings, when traditional
public transit operates limited service.

14. “The Sunrise Shuttle has been
a blessing. The drivers are
friendly and courteous.
I don’t have to wait out in the
cold or rain because it runs on
time.”
Jean McDaniels
Chimes Employee
BWI Marshall Airport
“

15. The Sunrise Shuttle
Using JARC funding, we started a shuttle from Baltimore City
to BWI Marshall Airport.
Ridership grew, clearly establishing the fact that this service
was needed.
As of June, 2014, the Maryland Transit Administration has
adopted our route as an express spur of a regular local bus
route.
A successful JARC-funded demonstration program which
resulted in new MTA Express service!

16. Work on Wheels
Work on Wheels is a workforce connection serving
Baltimore City residents and suburban Howard County
employers.
Howard County and the Department of Social Services
fund this service jointly.
The Partnership assists Social Services in identifying
available jobs for their clients in Howard County. We
oversee daily shuttle operations, transporting users to
interviews and, later, to jobs.

17. Work on Wheels is a Success!
Work on Wheels is now in its 15th year and
remains a unique and successful strategy for
filling jobs with dependable employees.

18. “Work on Wheels gets me to
work on time every day.
Without it, I wouldn’t be able
to keep this job.
Thanks to this dependable
service, I’ve just been hired as
a permanent employee.”
James Cantow
Goodwill Industries
Columbia, Maryland

19. MillsRide
Maryland Live! Casino and entertainment complex is a 24-
hour a day operation that opened in 2012. It has become a
major regional employer, with over 3,000 employees.
The casino is located on the grounds of the mega-sized
Arundel Mills Mall, which was already the state’s largest
tourist destination!

20. MillsRide
Funded by Federal JARC dollars, the MillsRide
shuttle connects Arundel Mills Mall and
Maryland Live! Casino employees to a transit
hub seven miles away. It operates during
evening hours when other connections have
ceased.

21. MillsRide
MillsRide is a demonstration grant project that
we are hoping will follow in the successful
footsteps of the BWI Sunrise Shuttle! We
working closely with Maryland Live!
management, who now understand the
importance of TDM and transit to their
workforce.

22. In Summary
In each of these four instances, we are providing
commuter assistance to get people to work –
supporting regional economic development.
And ... It’s working!

23. New Shuttles, New Funding Streams
Rather than relying upon conventional,
government-run transit routes, we’ve focused
on more cost-effective “last mile” shuttle
connections, seeking new funding streams to
operate these services.

24. Our Experience
The creative use and combination of funding
sources and partnerships have enabled us to
continue serving the complex transportation
needs of our growing region.

25. Questions?