Commuter Check Services Corp. (CCSC) of Englewood, New Jersey, and Commuter Benefits Management, Inc. of Oakland, California announce a new enhancement to the popular Commuter Check program. The new program, Commuter Check Direct, enables Commuter Check vouchers to be ordered online and delivered to employee homes. In many U.S. cities, Commuter Check vouchers are the most popular way to provide employees with tax-free “transit benefits” as allowed under Section 132(f) of the Internal Revenue Code. Thousands of employers nationally use Commuter Check to allow their employees to set-aside pre-tax dollars for transit fares, or for employer-subsidized transit fares. In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, nearly 5,000 employers of all types and sizes have begun using Commuter Checks since the program began in 1991.

Commuter Benefits Management, Inc. (CBMI) has been licensed by CCSC to market and operate Commuter Check Direct. Pilot marketing of Commuter Check Direct found that the program has substantial appeal due to the simplicity of its online enrollment system, the flexibility of Commuter Check vouchers, their popularity with employees, and its very modest service fees. As Commuter Checks are valid for over one year, employees do not have to modify their benefit selection from month to month (such as when they are on vacation), and the vouchers can be mailed to employees monthly, quarterly, or even semi-annually. These features make Commuter Check Direct very efficient and “order fulfillment” costs very low. For the popular quarterly fulfillment cycle, the Commuter Check Direct service fee can be less than $1 per employee per month.

Richard L. Oram, president of CCSC, said, “Commuter Check Direct is an exciting expansion of Commuter Check. It makes our program especially attractive to larger employers or those with multiple locations. Like the introduction of transit vouchers over ten years ago, Commuter Check Direct will enable tax-free transit fares to become even more common, benefiting employers, employees, and transit agencies, and helping reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.”
Stuart M. Baker, CEO of CBMI, said, “Commuter Check Direct is an easy program to market because it is so simple. It allows employers to offer a transit benefit program with minimal administration. We market the program to employees, obtain their enrollment and order information, and send vouchers to their home or work address. The employer fee is less than the tax savings employers get, and the 40% tax savings that employees enjoy makes the program a win-win for employers and employees.”