Here's a TIP: Get free money Published Jan. 8, 2016 By Angela Woolen Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Gas prices might be low, but leaving a smaller carbon footprint is at the forefront of the Transportation Incentive Program. The program gives eligible Robins team members $130 a month to use for one of 19 transportation companies instead of driving to work. Some employees come from as far away as Marietta and Stone Mountain. "Part of it is for the clean air campaign. Plus it solves the parking issue at Robins," said Staff Sgt. Steven Bergakker. Robins isn't the only base to participate in the program. There are 94 locations using Department of Defense money to support transportation initiatives. According to Bergakker, most of the participants usually come from the same department which makes it easy for those who ride together. There are 618 people at Robins who use the TIP. Transportation Incentive Program managers Bergakker and Staff Sgt. Xavier Brown want to encourage the other 2,000 or so people who live in Macon to use the program. The largest number of participants comes from the Southeast with more than 200 employees riding from Cochran, Eastman and Dublin. Each van pool driver has a contract signed for them to work on base. The vehicles range from seven-passenger vans to mini-buses. "It's free money," Bergakker said. The TIP program started in 2000. Nearly 16 years later, there are still some people who don't know that there's a program for military members and civilians that will pay for shuttle fees. "We're hoping to increase ridership," Brown said. The program is an incentive for working on the base. Although there's an information sheet to be filled out in order to get the $130, there's no cost to the rider. The program requires participants to use the transportation 50 percent of the time, which equals 10 days out of a work month on average. For more information, call 478-926-4628 or DSN 468-4628 Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.