Partnering for a Smarter Commute: Employer Commute Suite Spotlight

ConnectSmart is proud to collaborate with organizations across Greater Houston to make commuting smarter, more sustainable, and more connected. Our Employer Commute Suite was created with this goal in mind—helping employers provide their teams with a tool to support sustainable travel and track collective impact.

Through private carpool groups, participating organizations can allow their employees to match for shared rides and measure their progress toward reducing traffic congestion, saving money, and cutting carbon emissions. As we look back on the success of the past two-and-a-half years, we want to recognize the key partnerships that have helped make this work possible.

Harris County: Leading the Way to Greener Commutes

Since joining the Employer Commute Suite in 2024, Harris County’s Office of Sustainability has actively engaged employees in more sustainable commuting options. The ConnectSmart team kicked off the partnership at a series of Health Fairs, introducing employees to the app and helping them join their private group.

In early 2025, Harris County launched an internal carpool challenge, followed by a broader campaign promoting all sustainable modes—walking, biking, transit, and telework. Employees have embraced the app as a resource for planning trips and tracking their impact, with over 140 users in their group and over 1,700 trips total.

Rice University: Cultivating a Culture of Sustainable Travel

Rice University’s Campus Services & Sustainability joined the suite in 2024, bringing students, staff, and faculty into the movement. ConnectSmart has participated in the university’s Earth Day Kickoff Festival and Sustainability two years in a row, connecting directly with Rice owls interested in sustainable choices.

Student ambassadors from campus environmental organizations have offered to support adoption efforts by distributing flyers and manning a ConnectSmart table. Many students now use the app to navigate the campus more efficiently—one step at a time.

Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC): A Pioneer in Smart Commuting

One of the earliest adopters of the Employer Commute Suite and ConnectSmart partner organization, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Commute Solutions program has demonstrated strong leadership in promoting sustainable commuting since 2022. Over the past two and a half years, H-GAC has run multiple campaigns with trip and telework logging challenges, resulting in employees logging over a thousand carpool, transit, and telework trips using ConnectSmart.

The agency has boosted participation through creative incentives like backpacks and extra vacation days—motivating employees to make smart commuting choices. With a hybrid schedule in place, staff especially appreciate the ability to track telework and match with carpool buddies on shared in-office days.

Moving Forward Together

We extend our sincere gratitude to all our partners who are instrumental in ConnectSmart’s mission to improve safety, reduce congestion, and champion sustainable commuting.

Thanks to the efforts of Harris County, Rice University, H-GAC, and other partners, ConnectSmart’s Employer Commute Suite has contributed to an estimated reduction of over 34,000 pounds of CO₂, 36,000 fewer vehicle miles, and more than $28,000 in saved transportation costs. These outcomes demonstrate how collective action can make a lasting difference in improving regional mobility and sustainability. Moving forward, we are committed to fortifying these collaborations and driving even greater adoption of sustainable transportation solutions within our carpool groups and across the entire region.

Learn more about the Employer Commute Suite and how to get started here.