After writing about our local bus system expanding service to Teton Valley, Idaho, I stumbled upon a story in the New York Times about Google's bus system. As you might expect from a company that provides a wide variety of outrageous amenities to its employees, Google has spared no expense in trying to provide an effective solution to the Bay Area's traffic snarl.

Indeed, Google's free buses run on biodiesel, provide wireless Internet access and cover more of the Bay Area than BART, the region's commuter train system. About 1/4 of Google's workforce takes advantage of this service every day.

With traffic being the #1 concern for Bay Area residents, the Google perk helps attract employees and is being copied by competitors (the sincerest form of flattery). Yahoo offers a similar service to its employees and eBay recently started a pilot program.

Amidst its praise of Google's initiative, however, the Times offers this caveat:

For all their popularity, the shuttles have yet to earn Google the title of most commuter-friendly employer. The top spot in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Best Workplaces for Commuters went to Intel, which allows telecommuting, offers transit subsidies to employees and helps pay for shuttles that bring workers from transit stops, among other benefits. Google tied Oracle for third; Microsoft came in second.

Kudos to Google (Goodos) and its competitors for providing innovative solutions to the impact of their employees' commuting.

Carbon Neutral Journal's kudos are brought to you by Grand Targhee Resort.

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