Media Contact:
Morgan Lyons

December 21, 1998

Give DART for the holidays

V. A. Medical Center gives employees a free ride in 1999

By purchasing DART's E-Pass, employees receive a year of unlimited transportation on all regular DART bus and train services. The medical center, located on South Lancaster Road, is across the street from DART's VA Medical Center light rail station on the Blue Line and is served by several bus routes as well as a DART Trolley-Bus.

VA Medical Center Director Alan Harper thinks the E-Pass is great for employees for many reasons. "We don't have a surplus of parking here at the hospital, and we encourage our employees to use public transportation. Secondly, it's a nice little perk for our employees. A memo explaining the program was handed out to employees during our Christmas Open House, and we had a record turnout. Many of our employees already ride DART, and they say the E-Pass will save them a considerable amount of money."

In addition to giving employees unlimited access to all regular DART transit services, E-Pass includes the Emergency Ride Home program to cover unexpected late shifts or personal emergencies. "E-Pass is a growing employee benefit because it provides free transportation to work at a low cost to the company. Reliable transportation to and from the job is critical to the success of both employee and employer," said DART Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Matt Raymond. Some of the other organizations providing E-Pass for employees include the Hunt Oil Corporation, Bank of America and the Environmental Protection Agency.

"Everybody wins with the E-Pass," Harper added. "It helps employees, it helps the hospital and that helps the veterans who use the hospital."