A competitive salary may not be enough to attract qualified candidates if getting to work is a challenge. According to Monster's 2026 Commute Report, 49% of surveyed U.S. workers said commuting costs or travel time had influenced their decision to turn down a job opportunity.
For companies operating manufacturing plants, logistics hubs, data centers, and other large facilities, it's worth asking: Are commuting challenges limiting your access to qualified talent?
In many U.S. markets, employees rely on personal vehicles to travel long distances to work, sometimes spending more than an hour commuting each way. For facilities outside major urban centers, travel time, costs, and reliability can make otherwise attractive job opportunities impractical.
The consequences can extend beyond recruitment. Difficult commutes may contribute to attendance issues, employee dissatisfaction, and retention challenges, particularly among workers with early-morning, overnight, or rotating shifts.
Monster's report highlights how commuting influences employment decisions:
These findings suggest that employers should consider transportation alongside compensation and workforce planning.
Transportation needs vary depending on the worksite, workforce, and shift schedules. Four key questions can help employers identify where commuting support could make the greatest difference.
Workforce location data can reveal shared commuting corridors and help employers identify strategic pickup locations rather than planning shuttle routes based on assumptions.
Employees starting work before sunrise or finishing after midnight may have few alternatives to driving. Transportation schedules should reflect actual working hours and shift patterns.
Having a bus stop nearby doesn't necessarily mean employees have a practical way to get to work. Employers need to evaluate whether public transit serves the communities where employees live, aligns with their schedules, and provides reasonable travel times.
Hiring, new shifts, and facility expansions can change commuting patterns. Monitoring ridership and vehicle occupancy helps companies adjust routes as workforce needs evolve.
In car-dependent markets like the United States, employee shuttle programs can provide an organized alternative to individual car commutes, connecting residential areas with hard-to-reach workplaces.
At BUSUP, a shared shuttle refers to a service where employees from two or more companies ride in the same vehicle, rather than simply employees from a single company riding together. This model can be particularly beneficial for businesses located near each other with similar routes and schedules, allowing them to make better use of vehicle capacity and share operating costs.
One example is BUSUP's operation serving SSA Marine and McKinstry in Seattle, where employees from both companies use the same shuttle service.
BUSUP helps companies plan and manage these transportation programs based on employee locations, work schedules, and ridership demand. By monitoring route performance and vehicle occupancy, companies can identify opportunities to improve efficiency while keeping employee accessibility a priority.
In August 2026, the Maryland Transit Administration launched a commuter bus route serving Tradepoint Atlantic, near Baltimore. According to the agency, the service was designed to reduce some workers' commute times from 90 minutes to approximately 30 minutes. This example illustrates how better transportation connections can expand access to employment opportunities.
Reliable employee transportation can make hard-to-reach workplaces accessible to more candidates while helping companies use vehicle capacity more efficiently. Employee shuttle programs can also reduce reliance on personal vehicles.
According to BUSUP's 2025 Sustainability Report, the company reported 18,400 metric tons of CO₂e in avoided emissions and 21.88 million passengers transported in 2025. The report also states that one BUSUP bus replaces an average of 33 cars. These figures represent the company's global impact.
Ultimately, a company can offer competitive job opportunities and still struggle to hire if employees cannot reliably reach the workplace. Making transportation part of workforce planning helps employers address this barrier.
BUSUP helps companies assess commuting demand and develop transportation solutions tailored to their operational needs.
Explore BUSUP's employee transportation solutions