OREGON — Commute Options and its statewide partners are launching the annual Get There Challenge, a two-week statewide competition designed to promote greener, more active, and more affordable transportation choices across Oregon. Running from October 1 to October 14, the initiative encourages residents to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips to ease traffic congestion, improve air quality, and save money.
All Oregon residents are invited to participate by swapping solo drives for sustainable alternatives, including public transit, walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling, and remote work. Whether commuting to work or school, running errands, or traveling for fun, every non-solo drive trip logged helps build healthier, more connected communities.
“Whether folks take one or 30-plus alternative trips this month, any amount makes a difference,” said Brian Potwin, Executive Director of Commute Options. “The goal is to show how small changes in our daily routines can lead to significant benefits for both individuals and our communities.”
Prizes and Incentives: To join, participants just need to create an account on Get There Connect, or log into an existing account, and log at least one trip to be automatically added to the challenge. Up for grabs are rewards designed to keep participants motivated:
- Statewide Prize Drawings: Each week of the Challenge, there’ll be a raffle for 14 $25 gift cards to a local business of your choice. At the end of the Challenge, we’ll raffle off 3 $100 gift cards to a local business of your choice. To be eligible for the grand prize raffle, you must log at least one trip during each week of the Challenge. Every trip you log counts as an additional raffle entry, giving you more chances to win!
- Local Prize Drawings: An additional 30 gift cards to local Central Oregon favorites—including Jackson’s Corner and Burgerville will be awarded via random drawing.
Transportation remains one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a typical passenger vehicle emits roughly 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year. By choosing active transportation, carpooling, or transit, participants remove vehicles from the road, reducing traffic bottlenecks, cutting vehicle idling, and lowering overall carbon emissions.
How to Get Started
- Sign Up: Create a free profile and log trips on the Get There Connect platform.
- Access Resources: Download the Get There Challenge e-Kit for local transit routes, biking maps, carpooling options, and remote work tips.
- Log Trips: Record at least two alternative trips between October 1 and October 14 to qualify for prize drawings.
About Commute Options:
Based in Bend, Oregon, Commute Options is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting people of all ages to the places they go—employees to workplaces, students to schools, and neighbors to their communities. Commute Options champions active transportation and infrastructure improvements, fosters essential partnerships, and educates the public on sustainable options to support healthier individuals, a cleaner environment, and a stronger economy. Learn more at commuteoptions.org.
About the Get There Challenge:
The Get There Challenge is an annual, two-week event that encourages Oregon residents to use sustainable transportation for daily trips. By driving alone less often and choosing walking, biking, transit, carpooling, or remote work, participants help promote healthier, more affordable lifestyles while reducing congestion and improving air quality statewide. Learn More at https://getthereoregon.org/events/gettherechallenge/
