Chicago area commuters recognize the value in leaving their car behind for the ride to work. Whether they want time on the train to read a book or the extra exercise that comes with biking, the incentives are numerous. Now, through a partnership of RTA and the Active Transportation Alliance, commuters have even more reasons to step outside their car when commuting.
DriveLessLiveMore.com is a campaign focused on people using alternative types of transportation in their daily life. The website consist of a calendar with several icons – car (drive alone), bus, train, water taxi, bike and carpool – just to name a few. Participants are able to drag the icons to the date on which they’d like to report their trip. The program asks users to input their start and end locations as well as start time. Participants can save routes they use regularly and can customize different routes for different days. For each trip logged users receive points they can put into different drawings each month. December’s prizes include an IGO car sharing membership or two tickets to Chicago Sinfonietta.
Unlike other commuter reward programs throughout the country, DriveLessLiveMore wants users to report personal trips (weekends, evenings) as well as traveling to and from work. This could be incentive for Chicago residents to take a bus when going out for the night instead of just when commuting to the office.
The campaign formally launched the first week in December with the Transit Works Employer Challenge. Companies sign-up on the website and invited their co-workers to register and participate. The organization with the highest participation during the challenge time wins and receives a virtual certificate and public recognition.
For the individual, DriveLessLiveMore can be a great tool to track progress. The detailed stats tab lists the number of trips, distance in miles, fuel (in gallons) saved, greenhouse gases saved, calories burned and money saved. Seeing the impact of ones trips can be a powerful motivator and hopefully lead to continued behaviors.
Sign up at DrivesLessLiveMore.com today!
Research Assistant Melanie Truhn authored this post.