Community Transit Case Study: Employee Wellness for Bus Drivers and Office Teams
Community Transit is the public transportation agency for Snohomish County, Washington, just north of Seattle. With more than 1,000 employees, a fleet of about 400 buses and a workforce expected to grow past 1,200, it plays a central role in daily commuting across the region. Many of its people, from bus drivers to office staff, spend long hours sitting, so the agency went looking for a wellness program that every role could use. It chose YuMuuv.
Table of Contents
At a Glance
- Organization: Community Transit, public transportation for Snohomish County, Washington
- Size: 1,000+ employees and about 400 buses, growing towards 1,200+ employees
- Roll-out: through the agency’s Wellness Partners and Wellness Champions
- Formats: team competitions, individual fitness goals and informational challenges on nutrition, mindfulness and lifestyle habits
- Result: more activity, healthier habits and stronger connections between drivers and other departments
The Challenge
Bus drivers and office personnel at Community Transit both faced the risks of a sedentary workday. The agency wanted to tackle physical inactivity, stress and overall wellbeing with a solution that was comprehensive, engaging and easy to use, and that worked for very different employee groups, including drivers who rarely cross paths with colleagues in other roles.
Why YuMuuv
Community Transit selected YuMuuv for its ease of use, flexibility and broad approach to wellness. According to Tina Guzinski from Community Transit, the agency was drawn to its simple interface, available on a range of devices, which made it accessible and inclusive for all employees.
How Community Transit Rolled It Out
Access was rolled out through the agency’s Wellness Partners and Wellness Champions, a group of employees dedicated to sharing their passion for wellbeing with others. The wellness team used YuMuuv to organize, manage and promote a wide range of activities:
- Physical challenges, from team-based competitions to individual fitness goals.
- Informational challenges covering diet, nutrition, mindfulness and lifestyle habits.
- Company-wide events, with YuMuuv handling sign-ups and communication for the annual 5K run and special initiatives such as the Polar Plunge.
Results
- Engagement: team challenges and interactive events were the most popular formats, building friendly competition and camaraderie between departments. Enthusiasm grew for the Polar Plunge, outdoor movement challenges and healthy-eating initiatives.
- Health: Community Transit reported higher physical activity, improved dietary habits and greater awareness of personal wellness, with employees using YuMuuv to track and celebrate their milestones.
- Connection: the platform bridged gaps between employee groups and encouraged interaction across roles, and it was particularly good at engaging bus drivers, who usually have limited contact with other staff.
What’s Next
Based on positive feedback, Community Transit is exploring giving more employees access to YuMuuv and making it the central hub for wellness communication and events, so it becomes the first place employees look for wellness opportunities. The agency also plans more departmental challenges to strengthen friendly competition and collaboration between teams.
The team’s feedback highlighted YuMuuv’s simplicity and user-friendly design as key strengths. Their main suggestion was to show both current and upcoming challenges more clearly at login, so employees can plan their participation.
Key Takeaways for HR Teams
- Use wellness champions. A group of enthusiastic employees spreading the word gets a program further than any email.
- Design for drivers and other deskless roles. A phone-based program reaches people who never sit at a desk. See our guide to deskless employee wellness.
- Make it about teams. Department challenges build connections across roles; here is why friendly competition works.
- Mix movement with learning. Informational and habit challenges reach people a step count never will. Browse our non-fitness wellness challenges.
- Put events in the same place. Handling 5K sign-ups and special events through the same app keeps wellness in one hub.
For more stories, see our case studies. Running wellness for a large, mixed workforce? Book a YuMuuv demo and we will show you how to set up department challenges.
