Travel Reduction Program

The Travel Reduction Program (TRP) began in the late 1980s as part of the State of Arizona's response to a court ruling requiring greater efforts to reduce air pollution. One outcome of the ruling was the legislation of Travel Reduction Program state statutes that focuses on employers and schools because the approximately 80 million commuter miles driven each weekday are a significant contributor to regional air pollution (carbon monoxide, ozone, particulate matter). Subsequent revisions to the statute and related Maricopa County ordinance (P-7) (PDF) reduced the minimum employee site count to 50.

TRP Program Goals


Employers and schools are asked to reduce single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips and/or miles traveled to the work site by 10 percent for a total of five years, and then 5 percent for three additional years, or until a 60 percent rate of SOV travel is reached. Progress is tracked through an annual commute survey of employer/school sites. The results of the survey are used to develop an annual plan that commits the employer / school to implementing and documenting various strategies to reduce SOV trips or miles.

Business & School Compliance Assistance

The Department assists employers with their travel reduction programs by:

  • Providing and distributing commuter questionnaires for the TRP annual survey
  • Generating a statistical summary analysis of the TRP annual survey results for each site
  • Offering travel reduction plan development assistance, program overview and education,
  • courtesy site visits and event outreach assistance
  • Reviewing travel reduction plans and recommending for approval or rejection
  • Monitoring implementation of approved travel reduction plans and conducting site audits
  • Reporting on the costs of implementing travel reduction plans
  • Generating an annual report on commute-related emissions and travel reduction progress

The TRP partners with Valley Metro Commute Solutions to provide training, personalized assistance and promotional materials to all participating organizations. View the Valley Metro Commute Solutions Website.

The TRP Regional Task Force reviews employer/school survey results and the related plans are officially approved or rejected. Its meetings are open to the public and are usually held every 4 weeks. Find out more on the Travel Reduction Program Regional Task Force page.

Page reviewed 9/5/18