Partner Highlight: Ready, Set, Go-Tober

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RideAmigos is proud to power Denver’s third annual Go-Tober Challenge program

The “Go-Tober Challenge” has taken the Denver metro area by storm for the third straight year. This popular program encourages commuters to ditch solo driving for at least one week during the month of October, and explore alternatives like carpooling, public transit, vanpooling, biking, walking, or teleworking.

Like all good challenge programs, Denver’s Go-Tober Challenge gives participants the chance to earn prizes in addition to bragging rights. According to Steve Erickson, the marketing and communications director for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), “Go-Tober brings friendly competition into what’s truly a collaborative effort of reducing traffic congestion and emissions one commuter at a time. We all play a part in making our region a great place to live. It’s a win for everyone.”

During Go-Tober, Denver-area businesses can compete against one another to see which company can log the most commutes and the most miles using modes of transportation other than single-occupancy vehicles. The objective is to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of solo driving, promote alternatives, and empowering commuters to try new ways of getting around in the hopes of creating long-term behavior change.

The Go-Tober initiative is run by Way to Go, a partnership between DRCOG and seven local transportation management associations (TMAs). Employees that work for companies participating in the program must register at WayToGoTober.org, and log at least four round-trip commutes using smart alternatives over the course of the month. Companies earn valuable points for every one-way trip logged on the site, with the winners and leaders qualifying for prizes.

With powerful trip logging, route planning, incentive distribution, and transportation gamification features, RideAmigos is proud to be the software platform of choice for Go-Tober. We’re pleased to be a part of this popular and high-impact initiative that’s going a long way toward making Denver a better place to work and live.

Rideshare Month Ideas

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Use these Rideshare Month ideas to get people excited about trying smart commuting options

Rideshare Month is an increasingly popular way for regions, businesses and organizations to encourage commuters to give smart commuting alternatives a try. Like National Bike Month, Rideshare Month is built on awareness campaigns and friendly commuter challenges designed to get people excited about taking part.

Rideshare/Carpool Month (or Week) is most often observed in October within the US and during February in Canada. Start planning now for a successful program!

Effective Rideshare Month ideas engage commuters in creative ways, drumming up interest in your initiatives and getting more people on board. If you’re looking to get started, here are some popular approaches that have proven track records of success

Team Challenges

Use team challenges to get people to take part in numbers. Encourage carpoolers to register as teams and engage in friendly competition to see which team can log the most commutes (and/or the most miles) over the course of the month. Top-performing teams can qualify for prizes.

Social Media

Harness the power of social media, much like the Region of Waterloo, a RideAmigos partner, recently did to great success:

 

Pledges

Get rideshare pledges to commit early. Pledge programs engage individuals who want to take part by getting them to promise to carpool a set number of days over the course of Rideshare Month. Reward your pledges by giving fantastic prizes to those who meet their commitments, or with special prizes for those who carpool for a certain number of days. 

Point Programs

Create a point program. Allow commuters who carpool to accumulate points every time they log a smart commute. You can even extend this strategy into other smart commuting modes, like cycling and public transit, allowing participants to earn bonus points. Once a certain point thresholds have been reached, participants can cash in their points for rewards. Check out Commute.org’s STAR store as an example:

Use the Right Tools

If you’re planning to launch or run a carpool-focused initiative, be sure you’ve got a comprehensive set of Rideshare Month tools to put your ideas into action and maximize your impact. Surveys, ridematching software, gamification platforms and other tools can make the difference between a ho-hum program and a movement that inspires lasting behavior change.

TDM + Local Bike Shops = ❤️

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Bicycle advocacy powerhouse People for Bikes recently shared a great blog post highlighting the mutual interests of transportation demand management (TDM) and local bike shops.

From TMA’s & TMO’s to universities, enterprises and municipalities, organizations concerned with shifting commuter behavior usually promote biking as a great alternative to single occupancy vehicle (SOV) commuting. In the TDM industry, we know bikes take up less space on roads and in parking lots, cut carbon emissions, and create happier commuters.

Local bike shops are also well aware of all these advantages of biking over driving, so for TDM programs looking for partners to help promote and empower bike commuting, local bike shops are a match made in transportation heaven.

The People for Bikes article mentions the success that our partner Sonos has had with their earn-a-bike program for employees, including partnering with local bike shops. The University of Louisville has also implemented a similar program for students who can trade parking passes for bikes.

When it comes to cycling-related TDM challenges and incentives, local bike shops are great resources for collaborations like prize donations and event leadership. Bike shops are eager to become known as the go-to location for local cyclists, especially new cyclists, and are often willing to be creative partners in bike-related TDM programming.

Here’s a great success story from the People for Bikes post:

Ginny Politz owns Bikesport in Trappe, Pennsylvania. When the Greater Valley Forge TMA approached her seeking prizes to distribute to local winners of the National Bike Challenge, Politz’s enthusiasm was instant. “I said ‘Yes, and why don’t we host a wine and cheese event to kick off the competition?'”

Bikesport’s early buy-in has paid off. “We are the only bike shop member, so they send everything our way. If they have a corporation contact them and say ‘we’d like to do a Lunch and Learn bike program,’ I get an email introducing me as the solution.”

Read more at the People for Bikes blog …

How to Lower Employee Morale

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In their efforts to cut costs, reduce overhead expenses, and boost profit margins, employers must balance the need to maintain employee morale while dealing with these economic realities. Unfortunately, many actions (or inactions) taken by employers can unintentionally lower employee morale, rather than raise it. Many studies have shown that happy employees perform better and are more productive, and recent research also suggests that the modes commuters use to get to work can have a strong impact on overall levels of employee satisfaction.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some ways commuting-related workplace practices can lower employee morale and thus take a negative toll on company culture:

  • Only incentivizing solo driving. Free employee parking is a great perk, but if it’s the only commuting-related advantage you offer, you risk alienating team employees who prefer other modes of transportation. Instead, adopt a robust array of commuter support options, like subsidized transit passes and secure bike parking, to make sure everyone’s needs are met.
  • Not offering alternatives to costly parking. Parking is a major expense, and it’s one that a lot of companies deal with by (a) raising the prices of their products and services or (b) having employees pay to park in third-party lots. Parking cash-out programs, ridesharing initiatives, vanpools, and other alternative commuting modes can all be used to reduce parking demand and thus cut costs for employees and employers alike.
  • Inflexible policies on where and when employees work. Strict policies of this nature make it more difficult for employees to arrange carpools and can contribute to traffic congestion. Employees really appreciate the convenience that flexible hours and telework programs offer.

It’s important for employers to make a concerted effort to cultivate a businesslike yet vibrant, fun, and engaging company culture. People feel more invested in their jobs when the company feels more like a community, and building this kind of environment requires a focused, calculated effort that begins at the management level.

Commuting-related initiatives that help foster a workplace community include commuter challenge and incentive programs that encourage informal competition while engaging your workforce in pursuit of positive and beneficial objectives. Commute options like ridematching and bikepooling can also help to create relationships among co-workers. All these can easily be implemented using commuter management software.

RideAmigos can help businesses and organizations of all sizes avoid lower employee morale while building robust commuter programs with high impact levels. Get started with raising employee morale today!

Health Benefits of Bike Commuting

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Leaving your car at home is definitely good for your mind, but it’s even better for your body.

This past April, researchers published a new study in the British Medical Journal that’s attracted a lot of attention in the transportation demand management space. The study, which was carried out by scientists in the United Kingdom, compared the relative health benefits of four common modes of commuting: driving, public transportation, walking, and cycling. Their conclusion? Cycling is, by a significant margin, the healthiest option.

The study’s key finding is that when practiced on a daily basis, pedal power reduces an individual’s risk of dying, from any disease or cause, by an amazing 41 percent. Researchers expected that cycling would prove to be the healthiest mode of transportation, given that it is the highest-intensity commuting option included in the study. However, even these seasoned scientists were surprised to learn just how dramatically it can improve a person’s physical health.

This particular study followed over 263,000 participants between the ages of 40 and 69 over a five-year period. Its methodology included controls to correct for lifestyle factors, age disparities, socioeconomic imbalances, and other important variables. The study also included a mixed-mode option, in which active forms of commuting, such as cycling and walking, were combined with inactive transportation options, such as public transit and driving. The conclusive trend held up even in this regard, with study participants who included biking as part of a mixed-mode commuting strategy showing a 24 percent decrease in mortality risk.

So what makes biking so beneficial? Study participants who biked to work generally had longer distances to cover than those who walked, giving them a longer and more intensive regular workout.

If you’re looking to promote an alternative to solo driving, biking is a great place to start. In addition, studies have also shown that shared modes of transportation, such as carpooling and public transportation, are also associated with both mental and physical health benefits. There’s room for a complete range of options in any complete commuter management strategy.

Thinking of this from an employer’s perspective, it’s worth noting that encouraging people to commute by bike can also benefit an organization’s bottom line due to such health benefits. That means biking to work is a win-win for both commuters themselves and the companies they work for! Which is a great reason to promote cycling both during Bike to Work month and year-round.

Bike Month Collaboration in the RideAmigos Academy

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Be inspired by bike month collaboration success stories

May is National Bike Month, and RideAmigos is marking the occasion by promoting bike month collaboration efforts with our partner organizations. Together, we have helped create successful and innovative programs that we hope will inspire others to join in the fun.

National Bike Month Case Study: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County

SLOCOG / SBCAG Logos

Our National Bike Month collaboration case study comes from California, where the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments teamed up to launch an “All Star Challenge” in 2017.

The challenge centers on a friendly competition between neighboring companies and organizations, who are facing off to see which team can log the most bike commutes during National Bike Month. The competition includes:

  • Cal Poly State University vs. UC Santa Barbara
  • MINDBODY vs. Yardi Systems
  • California DOT (District 5) vs. RightScale
  • SRAM vs. Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition

Unlike other challenges that simply count trips or miles, this challenge pits teams from organizations of similar sizes head-to-head to see which can motivate the highest percentage of employees to swap their cars for pedal power. (Learn more at the Rideshare.org All Star Challenge site.)

Both government councils use the RideAmigos transportation demand management platform to help shift commuter behavior . The platform has proven to be an essential tool during the development and launch of the 2017 All Stars Challenge. Its comprehensive suite of trip logging, communication, and administration features have made this unique cross-county All Stars Challenge a far easier and more manageable task. Since both municipalities already used RideAmigos, which natively supports such “normalized” percentage-based challenges, setting up and running the challenge was as easy as deciding the teams, setting up the system, and displaying the results. 

The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments has been an early adopter of the RideAmigos Academy Coffee Talk X initiative, which grew out of the popular Coffee Talk webinar series. In the ramp-up to the challenge, SLOCOG and SBCAG joined forces for several Coffee Talk X events to prepare their teams. Coffee Talk X enables RideAmigos partner organizations to draw ideas and foster direct connections with the employers and commuters they represent, helping them build sustainable commuting strategies that generate higher levels of participation. 

Beyond free participation in Coffee Talks, all RideAmigos platform administrators enjoy full access to the RideAmigos Academy. The Academy takes a community-focused approach to providing help, insights, ideas, and collaboration opportunities to those who want to play a leading role in the move toward sustainable commuting.

The RideAmigos team is all about collaboration, and we recognize that people have the power to create incredibly positive changes when they work together. To that end, we’d like to invite you to join our thriving and growing community of collaborators. Check out the numerous ways to get started with RideAmigos.

Incentives for Bike Commuting

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Organizations that offer bike commuting incentives have a better track record of getting people to make the switch

A lot of people are theoretically open to making the switch to bicycle commuting, yet hesitate to actually make the jump or don’t stick with it for the long term. It’s a problem that many businesses and organizations have faced when trying to promote active, healthier and more ecologically responsible commuting alternatives.

One constant that’s emerged from creative thinking and a great deal of trial and error is that people are more likely to make the switch if you give them a compelling reason to do it. This strategy of providing bike commuting incentives can take many forms:

Competitive challenges

Some people just need to have their competitive spirit awakened, and creating a friendly but competitive bike challenge program is often enough to get commuters excited. Individuals and teams can vie to log the greatest number of bicycle commutes or the greatest total distance covered over a set period of time, with winners becoming eligible for prizes (and bragging rights!).

Points programs

Reward would-be drivers every time they commute by bike instead by awarding points for each vehicle commute saved. After reaching a certain threshold, the points can then be redeemed for prizes or other perks that might motivate your team members.

Raffles

This approach is similar to points programs, but instead of awarding points, they give commuters an entry in a prize draw for each bicycle commute they log. The bigger the prize, the more enthusiastic people will be.

Earn-a-bike initiatives

Numerous organizations have used this approach to great success. Earn-a-bike programs allow commuters to effectively trade their parking privileges for a bike. Check the Sonos earn-a-bike program for a great example of a strategy that worked very well.

If you need ideas for raffle, points program and competitive challenge prizes, here are some popular options:

  • Bikes or bike accessories (locks, helmets, reflective jerseys, etc.)
  • Vouchers or gift cards redeemable at local bike shops
  • Physical or digital-download gift cards to local malls, restaurants, or retailers
  • Event tickets (sports, movies, etc.)
  • Extra paid time off
  • Cash bonuses
  • Transit passes
  • Rideshare credits to services like Uber and Lyft

The RideAmigos team has great insights to share if you’re looking to create a bike commuting incentives program, and the RideAmigos platform is the ideal tool for shifting commuter behavior. Get started with RideAmigos today to learn more.

Shift your commuter programs into high gear for bike month

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Make an impact with your National Bike Month commuting program.

Every year since 1956, May has been designated as National Bike Month. Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month offers businesses and communities a wealth of ways to encourage active, sustainable commuting alternatives.

National Bike Month is a great opportunity to improve health and fitness, reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and discover new ways of looking at your community. Bike-to-work programs enable businesses and organizations to get more people involved, and provide a perfect opportunity to encourage commuters to make a long-term transition to pedal power.

Building a successful bike-to-work program means getting as many people involved as possible. Here are a few winning tips to help you drum up robust participation rates for your smart commute challenges and events:

Start with a survey

When designing your bike to work challenge, the best place to start is with a survey. This will help you generate information-based insights into important factors like the experience level of riders, how far people will be commuting, and what routes they will be following.

From there, you can divide the respondents into groups that reflect their enthusiasm and experience level. This allows you to focus segmented promotional efforts on specific groups of people. Use strategic insights to help turn people with middling levels of interest into enthusiastic participants who can’t wait to get started. After all, promotional efforts are best directed at those who are on the fence instead of those who are already jumping at the bit to take part.

Create incentives

Gamification incentives, like prizes and rewards programs, give participants an extra bit of motivation to get involved in your bike to work challenge. Playing for points or pride can work in the short term, but commuter challenges work best when they also encourage people to make better use of smart commuting alternatives over the long run.

To that end, remember that offering rewards and prizes for continuing to commute by bike is a surefire way to get people to commit to behavior change over the long haul. You can also use short-term challenges as test runs for longer-term or permanent programs to see what works, what connects with participants, and where you need to improve your strategy.

Promote your program strategically

When you get around to launching your promotional campaign, build in time to analyze the results. Instead of making an all-in push from the get-go, leave wiggle room that allows you to make adjustments. This will help you bring more people into the fold, ultimately supporting a more successful program.

You can also learn more from our collaboration with Google on creating a strong and successful bike-to-work initiative.

Pair inexperienced riders with “bike buddies”

Bikepooling and “bike buddy” programs are effective options for reaching people who would like to bike to work but don’t feel comfortable riding alone. These programs match new riders with experienced bike commuters who can show new biking enthusiasts the ropes and help them navigate city traffic safely and confidently.

An added benefit of the “bike buddy” approach is that it helps improve workplace collegiality and foster increased cooperation among your company’s commuter base. People can form friendships and expand their professional networks through the connections they make by taking part in smart commute challenges and events.

Expanding beyond the challenge: Emerging ideas for driving long-term mode shift

Encouraging long-term behavior change is challenging, but one strategy that’s catching on is the idea of trading parking permits for bicycles. Organizations and institutions in both the public and private sectors have already leveraged this strategy to great success, and it provides a powerful incentive that reduces parking demand, keeps parking costs in check, and helps build a healthier, happier community.

Consider it as a potential end goal of your bike to work challenge!

Power your commuter challenges and incentive programs with RideAmigos

The RideAmigos software platform has everything you’ll need to design, promote, manage, and administer bike to month challenges and other commuter programs. Our industry-leading solution supports survey distribution, data analysis tools, incentive tracking, statistical management, and a complete range of other features for administrators and commuters alike.

To learn more, get started with RideAmgios today!

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Smart Commuter Management

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Happy New Year! There’s no better time to create goals that will have a beneficial impact on your organization and the community at large than at the start of another trip around the sun. Here are five great ways you can make smart commuter management a priority in 2017.

#1: Collect More Information

The essential first step in generating behavior change is understanding the commuting habits of your organization’s members. Specifically, there are four key things you need to know:

  • What are the primary mode(s) of transportation currently in use among members?
  • How aware are members of the transportation benefits you currently offer?
  • What is the single most important consideration for members when choosing a way to get to work? Time? Cost? Something else?
  • What benefits or incentives would get members to try out an alternative mode of commuting?

Finding answers to these questions through commuter surveys will help you create a transportation program that’s got a much better chance of success.

#2: Experiment with Incentives

Providing incentives for leaving single-occupancy vehicles behind is a proven way to vastly increase program participation rates. Incentive programs come in many forms, with popular options including:

  • Pre-tax reimbursements for employees who use qualified modes of transportation
  • Preferred or lower-cost parking for carpool drivers
  • Parking cash-out programs that offer monthly payments to employees who give up their parking spots
  • Friendly individual- or team-oriented in-house competitions, with prizes for the winners who log the most miles or make the most trips using qualified modes of travel

Plan some experiments to try during 2017 and see which strategies best engage your commuters!

#3: Promote Transit as an Alternative to Solo Driving

Public transit is a great way for employees to save money, reduce congestion and pollution, and reduce wear and tear on their vehicles. Try offering partially or fully subsidized local transit passes and watch ridership soar.

#4: Participate in Bike to Work Week

Every spring, Bike to Work Week becomes a national initiative that helps get people moving and encourages greater numbers of commuters to make a permanent switch. Join in a Bike to Work Week being planned for your city or region, or if there’s not one in the works – help make it happen!

#5: Adopt a Comprehensive Commuter Management Tool

Commuters and administrators alike can benefit from a comprehensive platform like RideAmigos. Easily implement advanced carpool matching, distribute surveys, create networks and challenges, launch incentive programs, track results, and much more!

Learn More About Commuter Management Platforms

Empower Employees with Commuting Resources

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Resources like localized map layers enable commuters to choose smarter modes of transportation

Businesses have a lot of incentive to encourage employees to make better use of alternative modes of transportation. In addition to payroll tax benefits, which are available to companies that offer employee commuting programs, studies have shown that options like ridesharing, vanpooling, and public transit help improve productivity and reduce stress. By providing employee commuting resources, businesses can build a happier, healthier culture.

Dynamic, relevant information is one of the most effective types of employee commuting resources a company can offer

One of the biggest hindrances to behavior change is uncertainty. So it only makes sense that integrated, up-to-date information is the most important tool to offer your commuters. If a commuter doesn’t know or isn’t sure how to make best use of alternative options, they are far more likely to just stick with the status quo.

For example, custom map layers can be used to provide resources like:

  • Carshare locations. Programs like Zipcar have become a popular alternative for multi-modal transportation – integrate their pick-up locations!
  • Bike facilities. Show helpful resources like bike racks, repair stands, and shops across your region.
  • Park-and-ride lots. Commuters living in the suburbs and outlying areas can avoid congested city corridors by driving to a park-and-ride lot, then carpooling or taking transit the rest of the way.
  • Parking availability. Help commuters say goodbye to wasting time and fuel by driving around looking for a place to park.

Choosing the right commuter management software is the best way to drive behavior change. The RideAmigos platform provides commuters with convenient access to a wealth of dynamic, customizable information through  its trip planning and commuter dashboard tools, and gives administrators the added change-making leverage of targeted incentives. These powerful functions enable users to choose smarter modes of transportation with confidence.

Learn more about RideAmigos’ custom map layers and data integration options.