We’ve had an incredible year, making meaningful impacts in our community and across the state of Oregon by increasing access to transportation options for people everywhere. Check out all we accomplished in 2025 at Commute Options.
Oregon Friendly Driver
This year, Commute Options continued to elevate the Oregon Friendly Driver Program across Oregon as the lead statewide administrator. We expanded the marketing efforts, increased in-person instruction, upgraded the website and traveled to conferences across the state to present on the program.
As the statewide administrator we were able to increase the number of training and the number of participants in the online course. We tracked a 134% increase in online course participation this year and added 1,347 Certified Oregon Friendly Drivers to our roads.
- Total Online Course Participants = 496
- To In Person Classes Instructed = 63
- Average Improvement Knowledge = +20%
Oregon Safe Routes To School
This year, the TAP team hosted statewide webinars, statewide meetings, and regional hub meetings to provide resources and support for Safe Routes to School practitioners across Oregon. In addition, the JumpStart program expanded its fleet to include over 400 bikes for coordinators to use in bike safety programming, including an adaptive bike fleet to provide options for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The TAP team continued coordinating Walk and Roll Days and developed activity kits and guides to support the design and implementation of bicycle and pedestrian safety courses, walking school buses, and much more. Oregon ranked #1 in National Walk+Roll Day participation this year, with the highest participation rate in the country.
Get There Rewards
This year’s Get There Challenge was a huge success across the state of Oregon.
The Get There Car Free Challenge encourages participants to explore sustainable transportation methods, such as biking, walking, carpooling, or taking public transit, as ways to reduce the number of people driving alone. This year’s Get There Challenge was a huge success across the state of Oregon. The challenge had a total of 969 participants, and out of those, 272 represented the Commute Options region in Central and Eastern Oregon, logging an incredible 3,905 non-drive-alone trips during the challenge period. Our region accounted for 28% of the total statewide participation, right behind the Portland metro region, which had 38% of the participants! Biking/E-biking was the most popular mode of transportation logged, accounting for 45% of all trips.
The collective action across the state delivered a significant impact, including:
44.7 tons of CO2 reduced
$78,000 saved by participants choosing alternative modes
15,982 drive-alone trips replaced with sustainable travel options
Local Challenges:
May Walk and Roll Challenge, May 5-16, 2025:
The May Walk and Roll Challenge is a staple in the Commute Options calendar, and this year the community showed up in a big way. We had a 20% increase in participation from last year, with a total of 2,030 walk and roll trips logged during the 2 week challenge. That led to a reduction in 4,955 lbs of CO2 and savings of $3.7k when compared to driving alone. Huge thanks again to our prize donors: Footzone, Strictly Organic, Old Mill District, Rancher Butcher Chef, Outside In, El Sancho, and Looney Bean Coffee. Thanks to you we were able to give away 30 prizes to our lucky winners!
Hayden Homes Car Free Commute Challenge, August 1-31 2025:
This year Commute Options partnered with the Old Mill District and Hayden Homes Amphitheater on a month-long challenge to encourage more sustainable commuting during the month of August. The “August Car-Free Commute Challenge” is an initiative designed to encourage concert attendees and folks visiting the district to choose sustainable transportation methods, log their trips on Get There, and be entered to win a $200 prize package from the Old Mill District. The goal of this challenge is to reduce single-occupancy vehicles, ease congestion, and promote a healthier, more sustainable Bend. This effort aligns with the Old Mill District’s sustainability goals and Commute Options’ vision for accessible, convenient transportation options to lessen single-occupancy commutes in the community.
Safe Routes to School
This year’s Safe Routes to School Bicycle and Pedestrian Education Program reached over 3,000 students at 9 schools in Central Oregon. Through our education programs we distributed over 400 helmets to students in need. In addition, we hosted 4 Walk and Roll to School Day events throughout the Bend La Pine School District including Winter Walk+Roll to School Day, May Walk+Roll to School Day, October Walk+Roll to School Day, and Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. Other program highlights include hosting a Bike Safety Assembly for middle school students and a Bike Night at William E Miller and R.E. Jewell Elementary Schools.
Rogue Valley Safe Routes to School
We’ve seen a lot of growth in the Rogue Valley this year, especially since bringing on a dedicated SRTS coordinator from March through September. Phoenix-Talent School District held seven Walk & Roll events with 413 total participants, including four events at Talent Elementary alone! We also taught pedestrian safety to 81 summer school students in the Phoenix-Talent District. In Ashland, with help from our community partners, 336 students received bike safety education across five schools. This fall, the Jump Start Learn to Ride fleet came to Medford and has already reached 541 students. Across the region, we participated in five community events where we educated families about Safe Routes to School, and the kids enjoyed helmet decorating, spinning for prizes, and fun incentives. It’s been a busy and productive season, and we’re excited to keep building on this momentum! 
Vanpool
This year our vanpool program remained steady, providing 6 different companies with vanpools for their employees to use for their daily commute to work. Collectively we served 94 individuals, taking hundreds of cars off the road. Vanpool trips totaled up to over 15,000 miles of carpooling trips, saving individuals money and reducing their carbon footprint.
We continue our efforts with Malheur Council on Aging and Community Service in Malheur county to pilot their vanpool program.
