San Francisco Bay employers with 50 or more full-time employees within the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (“Air District”) were required to register and offer commuter benefits to their employees as of yesterday. Violators are subject to civil penalties for the enforcement of air pollution control laws under the California Health and Safety Code, including penalties up to $10,000 per day. Employers may register online at https://commuterbenefits.511.org/.

Commuter benefits are intended to encourage employees to take transit, vanpool, carpool, bicycle and walk, rather than drive alone to work. The Air District covers employers from Napa and Calistoga in the North, to Vacaville, Antioch and Brentwood in the East, to Gilroy in the South; a map of the Air District is available by clicking here.

Covered employers must offer employees one or four commuter benefit options to comply with the program. A summary of the benefit options, notice and recordkeeping requirements is available in our prior post of July 21, 2014.