Commuter Choice Maryland provides resources and support about commuter benefits to employees and employers. (MDOT)
The Maryland Department of Transportation commuter incentives program is on a mission to improve the commutes of millions of workers across the state. Last year, Commuter Choice Maryland continued to expand to offer more incentives, resources and support for commuters and employers. This year, it’s expanding with more commuter incentives. Here’s what you need to know about the program and how you and your employers can benefit from it.
What’s Commuter Choice Maryland
Commuter Choice Maryland is a free transportation demand management program operated by the Maryland Department of Transportation that offers incentives, resources and support to help commuters and employers find alternative transportation options. The goal is to enhance quality of life and mitigate congestion through increased ridesharing, transit use, walking, biking, teleworking and alternative work schedules.
Recent Expansions in the Baltimore Area
In 2024, Commuter Choice Maryland helped Baltimore region commuters find strategic and innovative ways to make commuting more efficient and relieve congestion in the wake of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The program launched a web page with local resources and toolkits, providing information about transit, ridesharing options and commuter apps that offer rewards. The program also stepped up its social media messaging to promote alternative forms of travel. Commuter Choice Maryland continues to develop and implement new commuting initiatives, including a vanpool incentive to address the growing congestion in the Baltimore area (vanpool hyperlink).
Benefits for Employers
Commuter Choice Maryland offers free resources to local employers, offering support in their efforts to build or expand commuter benefits programs. The Employer Partner Program recognizes Maryland employers for their leadership in offering transportation benefits and creative commuting incentives to their employees. In 2024, the Program made several new connections, including the Maryland Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), Maryland Nonprofits, Maryland Philanthropy Network, I-95 Business, Maryland Department of Planning, Emergency Management, Commerce and Labor.
Other Important Partnerships
Commuter Choice Maryland works closely with Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the transportation demand programs run by 12 local governments in the state.
Commuter Choice also collaborated with the National Center for Smart Growth Transportation Policy Research Group to conduct interviews and focus groups to research the effectiveness of and barriers to employers claiming the Maryland Commuter Tax Credit. Check out our website or this video for a step-by-step guide on how to apply for the Maryland Commuter Tax Credit.
Commuter Choice Maryland participated in 66 outreach events last year. (MDOT)
In 2024, the Program began collecting more data to better illustrate the benefits of the various commuting options and incentives available to Maryland commuters and businesses. Here are some of the highlights of 2024:
- 66 outreach events
- 4.5 million digital outreach engagements
- 191,414 Commuter Choice Maryland web page views
- 14,409 BaltimoreCommutes.org web page views
Join Us This Year and Improve Your Commute
Commuter Choice Maryland is making progress on several other initiatives this year to reach more commuters and businesses and help improve commuting options and reduce congestion. Among the plans are:
- The launch of a new CommuterCash mobile application
- New commuter incentives for carpools, vanpools, and transit
You can help us make 2025 a successful year and continue to ease congestion for you and others around Maryland. Commuter Choice Maryland is here to help you for free! Reach out to us today!
Michelle D. Martin is Director of the Office of Planning at the Maryland Department of Transportation.
