Google's mass transit system

“We are basically running a small municipal transit agency,” said Marty Lev, Google’s director of security and safety, tells the NYT in a fascinating piece about the Internet giant's extensive shuttle bus system for employees, which runs across the Bay Area to the Mountain View headquarters:

In Silicon Valley, a region known for some of the worst traffic in the nation, Google, the Internet search engine giant and online advertising behemoth, has turned itself into Google, the mass transit operator. Its aim is to make commuting painless for its pampered workers — and keep attracting new recruits in a notoriously competitive market for top engineering talent. And Google can get a couple of extra hours of work out of employees who would otherwise be behind the wheel of a car. The company now ferries about 1,200 employees to and from Google daily — nearly one-fourth of its local work force — aboard 32 shuttle buses equipped with comfortable leather seats and wireless Internet access.

Despite the efforts, the Times says the EPA ranked Intel as being most commuter friendly, by offering shuttle subsudies as well as more telecommuting opportunities.

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