The federal government is by far the largest employer in the Washington, D.C. area. With almost half a million employees commuting to work each day, federal authorities have an explicit role in influencing the carbon footprint of a large portion of the local workforce.

While the government has historically implemented a variety of benefits to support the use of public transport, the rise of Uber, Lyft, and other services in the sharing economy has revealed these benefits as rigid and out of touch. As the economy changes, so too should the rules on how commuter benefits can be spent.