2024 Commuter Challenge Recap

We are thrilled to share the story of our recent Commuter Challenge, which ran from April 1st to May 31st. This journey showcased the dedication of our community to sustainable commuting. 

It all began with a simple pledge. We asked commuters to commit to taking at least one sustainable commute to, through, or from San Mateo County for work or college. The response was overwhelming—1,846 of you stepped up, showing just how much our community values sustainability and alternative commuting. 

This year, we made it even easier to participate by introducing a new user-friendly pledge form. This resulted in a 71% increase in participation from last year. All pledgers were automatically entered to win one of five $250 e-gift cards simply for pledging. 

We send our heartfelt congratulations to Abigail P., Nila K., Sharlene Z., Natalie A. and Francisco F.! 

These pledgers embraced various sustainable commute modes, including biking (15%), walking (15%), carpooling/vanpooling (13%), and using public transit (23%). Our participants hailed from numerous home cities, with the top three being San Francisco, San Mateo, and Redwood City. They commuted to key work locations, with the top three work cities being South San Francisco, Redwood City, and San Francisco. Popular reasons for pledging included reducing carbon footprints, improving personal health, and saving on commuting costs. 

Here’s are some more reasons why our Commuter Challenge participants chose to pledge: 

In addition to pledging, participants had the opportunity to win more prizes by joining our STAR Commuter Platform and engaging with us on social media. The STAR Platform allows commuters to log their sustainable trips, earn rewards, and track their environmental impact.  

Your collective efforts have made a significant impact: 

• 1,136 STAR Platform Participants: Many of you logged your sustainable trips on our STAR Platform. 

• 33,968 Sustainable Trips Logged: Each trip you logged was a step towards a greener future. 

• 595,606 Miles Traveled (Not Driving Alone): Together, you traveled nearly 600,000 miles using sustainable modes of transportation. 

• 175.5 Tons of CO2 Saved: Your efforts saved an impressive amount of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the annual emissions of 38 average passenger cars or the amount of carbon sequestered by 215 acres of U.S. forests in one year. 

• Average Trips and Miles: On average, each participant logged 30 trips, covering 18 miles per trip. 

Commute.org also rewarded 45 additional commuters for logging their sustainable commutes on the STAR Platform! Our lucky winners and their rewards are: 

• $50 Clipper Card Winners: Collette, Mike, An, Brennan, Joshua, Rhys, Laurette, Tom, Andrea 

• $50 REI e-Gift Card Winners: Carlos, Alyana, James, Mary, Daniel, Andy, Thomas, Andrew 

• Fire HD 10 Tablet Winners: Lin, Hajhayra, Win, Joyce, Mackenzie, Michael, Maryann, Birong, Andrea 

• Kindle Paperwhite Winners: Theresa, Terence, Lucy, Nikki, Anh, Eliana, Shannon, Mary, Miguel 

• Sony Wireless Earbud Winners: Michael, Yonghong, Susan, Javier, Suzzan, Takashi, Arthur, MaryAnne, Terence 

Even though sustainable commuting isn’t always the easiest option, the dedication and commitment of our participants have been truly inspiring. Thank you for being part of this journey and for making such a significant difference. Stay tuned for more exciting initiatives and opportunities to continue our collective efforts toward sustainability. 

Interested in learning more about our Commuter Challenge results? Click here.

Happy commuting! 

Sincerely, 

The Commute.org Team