Commuter Challenge

Commuter Challenge Information

Prizes and Rules

Individuals must be registered on CommuteAndWin.org and have logged a qualifying trip to be eligible to receive individual prizes listed below. Winners will be chosen at random from those who meet qualifications at the time of the drawing. Additional criteria is listed below for specific contests.

• Log a walking or active rolling trip during Walk Week (May 1 – 7) to be entered to win one of two $25 gift certificates for Zingerman’s Deli.
• Log a bus trip during Bus Week (May 8 – 14) to be entered to win one of two $25 gift certificates for Black Pearl.
• Log a bicycle trip during Bike Week (May 15 – 21) to be entered to win one of two $25 gift certificates for Detroit Street Filling Station. 
• Log a carpool or vanpool trip during Carpool Week (May 22 – 28) to be entered to win a $50 gift card for The M Den.
• Log a scooter, skate or roller blade trip during the final days of the challenge (May 29 – 31) to be entered to win a $25 gift certificate for Main Street Ventures.
• Log a telework commute May 1-31 to be entered to win a $25 gift certificate for Cherry Republic.
• Log at least one trip by walking, biking, active rolling, bus, carpool or vanpool between May 1 – 31 to be eligible for a coupon for one free scoop from Washtenaw Dairy. Waffle cone is not included; patrons can purchase waffle cone at their own expense.

For social media contests listed on the activity calendar, posts must tag @getDowntown on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, and be visible to getDowntown’s page managers on the day of the contest to be entered to win. You may also send your submission to information@getdowntown.org within the same timeframe to meet the qualifications.   

To be eligible for team prizes, workplace teams must submit their total number of employees to getDowntown, not just those signing up to be eligible. Co-workers participate together to see if they can get the highest percentage of employees to try an alternative commute. If you get the most participation in your size category, participants from your organization will win a celebration at your worksite. In the case of a tie, the category winner will be determined to be the workplace team with the higher average distance logged per participant. Eligible workplaces must have addresses in the city of Ann Arbor, city of Ypsilanti or Ypsilanti township. Ann Arbor DDA, AAATA and City of Ann Arbor are not eligible. Qualifying trips must be logged by June 7th to be counted toward this contest.

Organization size categories:

• 2-20 employees
• 21-49 employees
• 50-100 employees
• 101+ employees

FAQs & Tech Help

Why does this program exist? 

The goal of the Commuter Challenge is to help community members become more inclined to commute via walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling, and taking the bus in May and after the competition.

What are the dates of the event? 

Commute trips taken May 1- 31, 2023 count towards the challenge.  

Am I eligible to participate? 

This challenge is for people who work in the greater Ann Arbor area. See Prizes and Rules for additional details. 

Can I participate by myself? 

Yes. We encourage whole workplaces to join the challenge and try get as many employees as possible trying an alternative way of commuting at least one day this May. If you are the only person from your workplace who signs up, you could still win individual prizes. Additional tools to help you recruit your co-workers can be found under Marketing Materials on this page.

How do I register? 

You can register at commuteandwin.org. See our video tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

How do I earn points? 

You earn points by logging travel for work trips. You receive points for trips logged by walking, bus, bike, carpool, vanpool, active rolling, teleworking, scootering, skateboarding and rollerblading. The platform will allow you to log personal trips you may take, like going to the grocery store, but those trips won’t count towards the challenge. Only logged trips for work will count toward the challenge. See forthcoming video tutorial for details on how to log trips.  

What counts as a trip that I can earn points from? 

You receive 2 points per commute trip logged by walking, bus, bike, carpool, vanpool, active rolling, teleworking, scootering, skateboarding and rollerblading. The platform will allow you to log personal trips you may take, like going to the grocery store, but those trips won’t count towards the challenge.

How many points can I earn in a day? 

You can earn up to 4 points per day in this challenge; each commute trip logged by walking, bus, bike, carpool, vanpool, active rolling, teleworking, scootering, skateboarding, or rollerblading is worth two points. 

Where can I find all the activities happening during the challenge?

The Activity Calendar is a good resource for activities related to the Commuter Challenge.

Where can I find resources to help me with alternative commuting?

Many resources for bike, bus, rideshare and walking can be found on getdowntown.org/commuter-resources. Additional tools to help you recruit your co-workers can be found under Marketing Materials on this page.

Why do I have to log the starting and ending location of my trips?

Logging where your trips started and ends helps calculate the greenhouse gasses that could be saved from your trip. The getDowntown program measures and reports the collective miles travelled and the estimated impact on greenhouse gas emissions of those participating in the challenge.  

Do I have to input the time my trips start?

When logging trips manually, you can input any start or end time to save time. If you are using Live Track to automatically record trips when detected, it is important to put in actual times and locations for the automation to detect your trips. The getDowntown program does not use information on travel times for reporting purposes.

What are the prizes? 

See our Prizes and Rules page for detailed information about prizes. getDowntown will provide prizes at levels that fall within the IRS safe harbor for de minimis limits.  

How are the winners chosen? 

See our Prizes and Rules page for detailed information about prizes.  

What should I do if I’m experiencing a glitch with the website or app?

Please don’t be shy about pointing out a bug you are experiencing! We might not know about the issue so explaining what you are experiencing to us will help get it fixed. Contact the getDowntown Program at information@getdowntown.org

What should I do if I have questions that aren’t answered in the FAQ or tutorial video?

Contact the getDowntown Program at information@getdowntown.org. We want you have to a great experience so get in touch!

Marketing Toolkit

Available Commuter Challenge 2023 marketing materials are being added below:

• Join the challenge flyer (PDF or jpg)
• Participate in the challenge flyer (PDF or jpg)
• Explainer about the challenge  (video)
• Tutorial on how to sign up and log trips on desktop (video)
• Virtual background (for Zoom or Teams)
• Bike to Work Day information (Friday, May 19th)

Many resources for bike, bus, rideshare and walking can be found on getdowntown.org/commuter-resources. 

May is also National Bike Month. Find information and resources regarding biking here and a local Bike Month calendar here. 

 

Commuter Challenge Calendar

Check out our 2023 Commuter Challenge calendar to keep track of opportunities to engage with getDowntown and win prizes.  

May 1 – 7: Walk Week

• May 1 – Green Commute Day - Wear green, take a photo with co-workers, and tag getDowntown on social media to increase awareness of Commuter Challenge and your participation.
• May 3 – Bike, Walk and Roll to School Day – Adults who are participating in a Bike and Roll to School event or otherwide walking and biking to school can tag getDowntown on social media with a photo of them on their school commute for a chance to win a Vault of Midnight gift card.
• May 7 – National Ride A Bike Day – Work on Sundays? Tag getDowntown on social media with a photo of your weekend bike commute for a chance to win a gift card to Detroit Street Filling Station. 

May 8 – 14: Bus Week

• May 8 – Commute through a Park - Is your commute a figurative or literal walk in the park? Take a picture and tag getDowntown on social media letting us know which park is part of your commute to be entered to win a gift card from New York Pizza Depot.
• May 10 – Buses Run Here – Tag getDowntown in a social post that shares which AAATA bus line or stop number is closest to your location. You could win a gift card to Amer's Delicatessen!
• May 12 – FlexRide Friyay – Have you heard of TheRide’s FlexRide services? Tag getDowntown and TheRide if FlexRide service reaches you! Hint: The service area for FlexRide Holiday and Late Night are currently within the City of Ann Arbor and downtown Ypsilanti between Clark Road/East Huron River Drive on the north and Ellsworth Road/Michigan Avenue on the south. FlexRide East and FlexRide West boundaries can be found on this page: https://www.theride.org/services/flexride

May 15 – 21: Bike Week 

• May 17 – Bikes Welcome Here – Tag getDowntown on social media with a photo of bike parking at or near your location for a chance to win a gift card! 
• May 15 – Cyclists in the Workplace – Using social media, tag getDowntown in a photo of your helmet at your desk or bike at your workplace for a chance to win a gift card for Argus Farms! 
• May 19 – Bike to Work Day – Visit one of several stations across Ann Arbor for snacks, information, and comradery from 7-10 am. For details on station locations, visit: https://www.wbwc.org/bike-to-work-day

May 22 – 28: Carpool Week

• May 22 – Carpool Playlist – Comment on getDowntown's social media accounts with a relevant song to add to our alternative transportation playlist to be entered to win a Vault of Midnight gift card. We’re starting with These Boots are Made for Walking, No Spitting on The Bus, and Bicycle Built for Two. What is on your commute playlist?
• May 24 – Carpool Photo – Gather your carpool buddies for a photo and tag getDowntown when posting it to social media for a chance to win a treat you can share with your fellow riders. 

May 29 – 31: Creative Commute Days

• May 29 – Memorial Day - If you're using FlexRide Holiday to get to work this Memorial Day, tag getDowntown in a photo of you boarding FlexRide for a chance to win a Red Hawk gift card.
• May 31 – Commuter Challenge Celebration – Join your fellow commuters and the getDowntown Program to celebrate a month of alternative commuting! We’ll be at Bløm Meadworks from 5-7pm with free Bon Bon Bon for Commuter Challenge participants. There are several transit routes and plenty of bike parking nearby. More info here.