Getting Your Boss to Pay for Gas

Explore "Commuter Rewards" programs.

You might even be eligible to make money by carpooling.

In many major cities, there are initiatives that will actually pay you to try public transportation or to carpool, but not everyone knows about them.

In Atlanta, for example, a program called Cash For Commuters will pay you $3 a day for up to 90 days to carpool or use public transportation. The idea is to get people to try it because there's a good chance they'll be hooked. (Less than a year after registering for this program, more than 60 percent of users continue to participate.)

Atlanta's Carpool Rewards program allows carpools of three or more people to earn gas cards of $20 to $60 a month, based on the number of riders.

Not only should you look into such programs on your own, but encourage your employer to get involved as well. The services are free to employers to help them evaluate and implement the right kind of program for their work force

Propose some fun.
Suggest that the your department or the company give away gas cards as raffle prizes in meetings or as spot rewards for monthly attendance or a job well done. An investment of as little as $15 or $25 for a gas card can go a long way toward making a staff meeting fun and showing employees that you care. Don't bring doughnuts -- bring gas cards!

Biking to work is growing in popularity. Employees are asking companies to install bike racks, provide free bike rentals or assist with stipends to purchase bikes used for commuting.

Research competitors and talk to management.
If you're looking for bigger subsidies or special accommodations, such as long-term telecommuting, bigger stipends toward gas or public transportation, or guaranteed emergency rides home if you've carpooled but need to leave early or work late, then it's likely you'll have to convince senior management -- not just your direct supervisor.

You can say, "I know that our company prides itself on being a leader that treats its employees fairly. To that end, I wanted to show you what some of our competitors are now doing to assist their workers with rising commuting costs."