Statewide Rewards Program Encourages Residents to Go-Green

Over 25,000 commuters in Massachusetts are participating in a statewide program that promotes environmentally-friendly travel across the Commonwealth as of Monday.

NuRide is a free, state-sponsored program that launched in Massachusetts in 2010 which allows commuters to save money, reduce pollution and decrease road traffic.

Participating commuters can find local carpooling and vanpooling options through NuRide.

Decreasing the number of single occupancy vehicles on the road will lead to a cleaner and greener Commonwealth, said acting transportation secretary Frank DePaola.

“NuRide is a valuable tool in our work towards meeting this goal and I commend our 25,000 commuters on their choices to incorporate sustainable transportation into their daily routine and encourage others to join this initiative,” DePaola said.

Users can also track how much they walk, bicycle, take public transit, carpool, vanpool and telecommute throughout the day. When a user tracks a trip, they receive points that can be redeemed at various businesses such as local restaurants, movie theaters, shops and more.

NuRide users have redeemed $113,449 in rewards, saved 4,271,988 gallons of gas, have shared 1,073,395 rides and saved $51,532,148, according to NuRide statistics for Massachusetts.

“There are so many benefits to choosing sustainable modes like carpooling, biking, and taking transit over driving alone,” said MassRIDES director Kristin Slaton. “The continued growth of NuRide shows that Massachusetts employers and commuters are recognizing those benefits and want to make smarter and healthier travel choices.”

Photo Credit: MassDOT Facebook page.