Bytemark, its partner Velocia, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDoT) and King County Metro have launched a mobility rewards programme in the Transit Go Ticket app.
Transit Go Ticket – originally launched by Bytemark for King County Metro in 2016 – is built on the Bytemark Bridge Plan, Book and Pay platform.
The programme allows users to earn points and redeem them for rides on King County Metro buses, water taxis, Sound Transit, Seattle Streetcar and all local scooter and bike-share companies, including Lime, Link, Spin and Wheels.
Transit Go Rewards will initially be available to riders in West Seattle who have been impacted by the closure of the West Seattle High-Ride Bridge.
Bytemark says the bridge, which formerly supported over 100,000 trips per day, was closed in March 2020 after city engineers discovered rapidly growing cracks in multiple locations.
According to Bytemark, the bridge closure has affected travel to and from the West Seattle peninsula, including Duwamish Valley communities, where detour routes have increased traffic and pollution from people driving.
Stefan Winkler, SDoT west Seattle bridge travel options manager, says: “The West Seattle Bridge closure has had a significant effect on everyone living and working in West Seattle and Duwamish Valley neighbourhoods, especially people who have dealt with increased traffic and speeding through their neighbourhoods. Our partnership with King County Metro, Bytemark and Velocia is an important part of our approach to help people discover more sustainable ways to get around and support long-term changes in travel patterns.”
The bridge is on track to reopen mid-2022, after stabilisation and repairs.
The programme supports the SDoT's 'Flip Your Trip' campaign, which seeks to encourage people to replace car trips with other travel options such as transit, vanpooling, biking, scooting, or staying local.
Those living or working in the West Seattle area is eligible to take the #FlipYourTrip pledge and receive an initial sign-up bonus to use for free rides on the transportation mode of their choice via the Transit Go Ticket app.
Brian Thompson, director, business development at Bytemark, says: “As we see traffic return following the pandemic-shutdowns, it is more important than ever to seek new ways of getting people out of their cars. We view Transit Go Rewards as the perfect catalyst for accelerating adoption of Mobility as a Service, as it generates awareness of the shared mobility options and reduces the economic barriers to changing customer behaviour”
King County Metro plans to offer expanded access to Transit Go Rewards in the future, allowing more people to ride, earn and redeem.
