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GoTriangle Program Rewards Alternative Commuting

Participants earn points for walking, biking, carpooling and more

Riding on buses with the Durham Area Transit Authority is one way Duke employees can earn points and prizes as part of GoTriangle's new GoPerks program. Photo courtesy of GoTriangle.
Riding on buses with the Durham Area Transit Authority is one way Duke employees can earn points and prizes as part of GoTriangle's new GoPerks program. Photo courtesy of GoTriangle.

New in 2015, GoTriangle, a partnership of local public transportation agencies, has launched the GoPerks program, which offers incentives for taking alternative methods of travel to-and-from work.

By tracking a bus or bike trip, carpool or vanpool and even walking, Duke employees – and other commuters who work in Durham, Orange and Wake counties – can enter to win gift cards to dozens of businesses, including Brixx: Wood Fired Pizza, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and Maggiano’s Little Italy.

To get involved in GoPerks, employees create an account through GoTriangle’s Share the Ride NC website and track their commute. Participants earn a half point for each sustainable trip and can later spend points to enter raffles for prizes. 

“Using sustainable commute options can be great for saving money and putting time back in your day, but GoPerks takes it one step further,” said Alison Carpenter, director of Duke’s transportation demand management program. “It’s really icing on the cake.”

So far this year, 22 Duke employees signed up for the GoPerks program and have tracked about 1,200 alternative commute trips, saving a combined estimated $2,792 in fuel costs and wear and tear on vehicles, according to stats provided by GoTriangle. In all, the Duke participants have saved 552 gallons in fuel and reduced green house gas emissions by 10,863 pounds, the equivalent of carbon sequestered by four acres of trees over one year.

Jason Elliott, program coordinator with the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative, signed up for the program in January. He’s tracked about 70 trips for GoPerks through bus or bike rides, earning almost 40 points along the way.

“I have hopes that it will encourage traditional commuters to incorporate alternative transportation methods in their daily commute,” he said.

Faculty and staff new to sustainably commuting can use the Share the Ride NC website to quickly and securely find carpool and vanpool partners anywhere in the Triangle. Employees who already use alternative commuting options like riding the bus are also eligible to sign up for the new program.

“If you’ve resolved to save money in 2015, be more environmentally friendly or work out more, GoPerks can help you keep your resolutions,” said Michelle Parker, Sustainable Travel Services Supervisor for GoTriangle.  “Each day earns a point and each point is an entry that adds up toward food, fun, and good times across the Triangle.”

For a full list of raffle prizes, visit the Share the Ride NC website, which also has a FAQ list about the GoPerks program. To see how to redeem points to enter raffles, see this video: