Your ability to choose is one of the most powerful tools you possess. Hacienda Business Park and the City of Pleasanton are pleased to sponsor a free major event where you can apply your power to choose to time and money saving commute opportunities. The Tri-Valley Commuter Choice Transportation Fair is taking place Thursday, October 9, between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm at the CarrAmerica Conference Center at 4400 Rosewood Drive. On that date, you will find a comprehensive informational forum for commuters working and living in the Tri-Valley. Here, attendees can learn from exhibitors about the complete range of transportation alternatives and related support programs to aid them in their commute. The Conference Center will serve as the exhibit hall and gifts, prizes, and refreshments will be provided by the hosts.

Prizes! Prizes! Prizes!

Admission to the event is free. The first 300 people attending the fair will receive a free Commuter Travel Wallet! A free Deluxe Commuter Bag is also available to all participants who register into the new 511 Regional Rideshare Program database. Special drawings will also be held to award prizes to attendees. Prizes include a variety of transportation giveaways including BART tickets, gift baskets and commute incentives. The grand prize will be a Yosemite Passport sponsored by the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission who provide the ACE commuter rail service. There is no charge to enter the drawings and attendees need not be present to win.

Two Part Fair

The fair has two parts. The first hour of the fair, from 10:30 am to 11:30 am, has been specifically designed for Employee Transportation Coordinators, or those who either facilitate a company's transportation program or who oversee employee benefits programs including transportation incentives. Fair vendors will be available to answer questions and work with representatives on creating program options for their business. The second part of the fair, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, is for the general public. Here, fair attendees will be able to connect with important resources that will aid them in getting to and from work using alternatives that can save both time and money.

A Preview of Coming Attractions

Need help planning your commute? Want to know how to get from here to there? Interested in resources that can show you the full range of transportation alternatives available? The Commuter Choice Transportation Fair is just what you need. Here is a preview of some of the special features that can be found at the Commuter Choice Transportation Fair:

• 511 and Online Ridematching   Commuter Choice is all about knowing what commute alternatives are available. The new 511.org service is all about packaging these choices to suit your needs. You will find details on a variety of 511 services and how to use them to plan your commute. Discover the easiest way to develop a carpool or vanpool matchlist instantaneously using the new 511.org online ridematching service. Participants will be able to dynamically generate matchlists at the event and receive a free Deluxe Commuter Bag at the same time.

• Rideshare Thursdays   The Commuter Choice Transportation Fair will be one of the events marking the commencement of Rideshare Thursdays. Hacienda Business Park and the City of Pleasanton have joined the region's Rideshare Program and its partners to help launch this new campaign in October to encourage greater use of carpools, vanpools, bicycles and transit when commuting. Beginning in October, individuals who complete a Rideshare Thursdays pledge form will be entered into a drawing to win a weekend ski trip for two to Lake Tahoe. Entries must be submitted by December 31, 2003. Opportunities to enroll in the Rideshare Thursdays campaign will be available at the fair.

• Bay Area's Best Workplaces for Commuters   Your organization can obtain the ability to distinguish themselves as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters under a new federal program. The US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Transportation have promulgated a national standard of excellence under the Commuter Choice Leadership Initiative. The initiative is a tool companies can use to highlight their support of commuting choices in the workplace. Representatives from the program will be available at the fair to provide details. In addition, employers can also sign up to be on the new Bay Area Best Workplaces for Commuters list. This regional recognition will occur later in October and will prominently feature enrolled employers in a Bay Area wide campaign.

• Tri-Valley Resource Team on Clean Air   The Tri-Valley Resource Team on Clean Air is a public/private partnership formed to help implement the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Spare the Air program. Because auto emissions are a leading cause of pollution, the team has developed a number of resources to aid commuters in the use of alternatives to driving alone. Would you like a comprehensive reference on the Tri-Valley transportation network? The Resource Team has developed the Tri-Valley Transportation Guide which shows all of the regional services available for your alternative commute. Learn all about the latest in an important federal program providing one of the best ways to discount the use of commute alternatives. The team has developed a convenient reference guide on the Commuter Choice Tax Benefit to teach people about this great money saving program.

Commuter Choice Resources

The Commuter Choice Transportation Fair will give you direct access to the regional organizations offering the best in alternative transportation. Participants will include a broad range of representatives across a wide spectrum of commuting.

Transit

BART ACE CalTrain WHEELS County Connection Tri-Delta Transit SMART MAX AC Transit Muni VTA Water Transit Authority

Rideshare Resources

RIDES for Bay Area Commuters Buspool.org Enterprise Vanpool VPSI City Carshare Black Tie Limousine

Biking and Walking

Bay Area Bicycle Coalition Dublin Cyclery East Bay Regional Parks District Trails Council of Livermore-Amador Valley American Heart Association American Lung Association

Telecommuting

Cingular Wireless Local Telecommute Resources

Regional Commute Assistance

511.org Guaranteed Ride Home Commute Alternative Network Peninsula Congestion Relief Alliance Commute Connection Solano Commuter Information Commute Solutions Merced Rides

Commute Benefits

Commuter Check WageWorks Trust Administrators, Inc. CDS Net

Employer Programs

Pleasanton Commendable Commutes San Ramon Transportation Services Hacienda Commute Program Best Workplaces for Commuters Commuter Choice Spare The Air Tri-Valley Resource Team on Air Quality BayCAP

How to get There

The event is being held at the CarrAmerica Conference Center at 4400 Rosewood Drive in Pleasanton. The center can be accessed off of Rosewood Drive from Owens Drive or Santa Rita Road. DART service, provided by WHEELS, is available to transport you to and from the event. DART services may be ordered by calling (925) 447-3278. For information on using DART, visit the WHEELS website at: www.wheelsbus.com/dart/dart.html. When ordering DART service inform the reservation attendant that your destination point is the CarrAmerica Conference Center, 4400 Rosewood Drive. Parking at the event is also available.

Event Sponsors

The Commuter Choice Transportation Fair is co-sponsored by Hacienda Business Park and the City of Pleasanton. Other major event support has been provided by the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (operators of the ACE commuter rail service), Gateway Computers and CarrAmerica.

Commuter Choice is a nationwide partnership involving a variety of interest groups such as business, residents, and schools to help create customized solutions to commuting challenges and to provide and promote choices for travelers.

Contact Information

James Paxson
Hacienda Owners Association
4473 Willow Road, Suite 105, Pleasanton, California  94588-8570
(925) 734-6500 phone     (925) 734-6501 fax
info@hacienda.org e-mail     www.hacienda.org WWW

Lisa Adamos
City of Pleasanton Economic Development Department
P.O. Box 520, Pleasanton, California  94566-0802
(925) 931-5039 phone     (925) 931-5476 fax
ladamos@ci.pleasanton.ca.us e-mail     www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us WWW