‘Get There Challenge’ urges new ways to commute

Oregonians are taking the newly named “Get There Challenge,” finding a way to get to work by means other than driving alone. And when they take that alternative, they can log those trips, made between Oct. 7 – 21, into ODOT’s new trip planning tool for the challenge and be automatically entered to win (or in other words, be rewarded for their efforts!).

Prizes from sponsors Bike Friday and Providence Health & Services and many others include $500 and $250 cash cards, $1,000 towards a folding bike, and hundreds of gift cards, restaurant certificates and more.

But that’s not the greatest reward, according to ODOT Active Transportation Planner Stephanie Millar.

“Right on the page where you log your trips, you see how much you are contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” Millar said. “You also get estimates on how much money you’re saving. And if you’re biking or walking, you’re getting health benefits, too!”

And you just might find an awesome permanent alternative to driving alone – the biggest win of all.

Four days in, and more than 5,400 trips have been logged, eliminating an estimated 13.1 tons of GHGs, totaling more than 45,000 miles and saving participants around $16,000 as compared to driving alone. For those who took a more active approach — with more than a week still to go — they’ve burned more than 1/2 million calories!

Millar said it’s pretty clear that finding a way to work without driving alone pays off.

What is it?

The annual Get There Challenge (formerly the Drive Less Challenge) is a two-week opportunity for Oregonians to win prizes by logging biking, walking, transit, carpooling, vanpooling and teleworking trips. Sponsored by Providence Health & Services and Bike Friday, the Challenge is powered by Get There, a trip planning and carpool matching tool that makes it easy to find a carpool or vanpool partner and share rides to work and special events.

KTVZ 2019