Los Angeles CA— As the April 17 deadline approaches for filing taxes, there’s a windfall to be saved on taxes and other expenses this year by switching to Metrolink for the work commute instead of driving.
Workers who commute by Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail system, can avoid paying taxes on their transit passes up to $260 a month. This applies to both state and federal taxes. The pre-tax benefit can be used if either the employee buys a transit pass or the employer covers the expense. The subsidy won’t appear on the employee’s W-2 form as income.
Metrolink offers a Corporate Partner Program (CPP) that helps many of the 177 participating companies offer pre-tax transit benefits to their employees. For details on CPP, go to www.metrolinktrains.com/cpp.
Taking public transit to work also is much cheaper than driving. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) estimates the average commuter in the Los Angeles region could save $11,250 annually using public transit compared to the cost of owning and driving a vehicle. Moreover, commuters can avoid the stress of driving in traffic.
For the sixth year in a row, Los Angeles topped the list of the world’s most gridlocked major cities, with drivers spending 102 hours sitting in traffic congestion during peak time periods, according to the 2017 traffic scorecard by INRIX, a leader in transportation analytics and connected car services.
Instead of slogging through traffic, commuters could catch up on badly needed sleep riding the train to work and arrive safely and more refreshed. Nearly a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC estimates that 20 percent of all car crashes are caused by drowsy driving.
So it’s cheaper and safer to commute by train, especially for long-distance commuters. Add up all the benefits and Metrolink can be an effective strategy for saving money and more.
For more information on Metrolink schedules and fares go to www.metrolinktrains.com.