PORTLAND — GO MAINE, the state’s commuter support program, is celebrating National Rideshare Month with the second annual Way 2 GO MAINE, a Business vs. Business Commuter Challenge starting Monday, Oct. 1. The goal of the month-long event is to use friendly competition encouraging employers to inspire their employees to use greener commuting. Green commute trips include carpools, vanpools, transit, walking, biking and telecommuting.
“Way 2 GO MAINE is a great team-building, healthy, carbon footprint-reducing, money saving event for employers and employees,” said Rebecca Grover, GO MAINE coordinator. “We want to make it fun and easy and tap into everyone’s competitive spirit.”
Commuters can sign up (or sign in, if already a GO MAINE member) at www.GOMAINE.org and then log the greener trips they take. They can also track their organization’s progress on a state-of-the-art leaderboard and track their organizations’s progress.
Participants can also see data such as gallons of gas saved, calories burned and the percent of greener trips taken by mode — bike, bus, walk, carpool, etc. Grand prizes will be awarded to employers for most trips taken, most new GO MAINE members signed up and most team spirit. Individual commuters will also receive ongoing event swag and rewards for commuting another way. New this year will be weekly prize drawings for participating commuters of at least $100 in value.
Last year’s event was a great success with more than 400 new GO MAINE members signing up. A new employer to the program, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, won two of the event categories.
“We had fun and it built staff morale,” said Ellen Grant, the institute’s chief operating officer. “The challenge got people thinking about their own commuting, and people sought out different ways to get to work. Then we got competitive! We really wanted to win and people rallied. It was definitely a team-building activity!” Other photos and stories can be found at the gomaine.org website under programs and searching for #Way2GOMAINE on social media.
“Mainers have some long commutes, which are expensive, and carpooling can cut those costs and the associated stress in half or more. For those who can, walking and biking and taking the bus or train are also healthy options. Our hope is that, if commuters try it during Way 2 GO MAINE, they will do it more often — freeing up parking spaces, reducing traffic, cleaning the air and saving money,” Grover said.
GO MAINE is a statewide commuter program funded by the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Maine Department of Transportation. For more information, visit www.GOMAINE.org or contact Rebecca Grover at 207-482-8122 or rgrover@maineturnpike.com.
