In a bid to help reduce air pollution and improve health and wellbeing, Wokingham Borough Council has launched a commuter challenge this September.
Wokingham Borough Council's My Journey campaign believes that air quality in the area will bring benefits for everyone if people make conscious changes to their travel habits. So it is challenging local businesses to outdo each other in reducing commuter traffic in the area.
The business with the most employees commuting to work by foot, bicycle, bus, train or car-sharing will win a visit from a cargo bike café – a pedal-powered coffee cart.
Throughout September, colleagues can work together to push their employer up the Commuter Challenge leaderboard. There are prizes for the business and the winner at the end of the challenge will get the cargo bike café coming to serve them drinks and treats.
Commuters simply use My Journey Wokingham’s BetterPoints smartphone app to track their activity – and watch their workplace rise up the leaderboard.
Cllr Malcolm Richards, Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for highways and transport, said: "How we travel to work each day can make a big difference to the local environment, as well as to the length of time taken. There are a variety of ways to travel around the borough, and the commuter challenge provides an incentive for employees and residents to try these out during September."
"And it's not just about air quality," says Anne Lancaster from BetterPoints, "we can all save money, improve our health and help the environment simply by making a few small changes to how we travel."
Participants walk, cycle, car-share or take public transport and use the smartphone app to keep track of their activity.
As well as the Commuter Challenge, users can also earn the regular BetterPoints. Like with other reward schemes, they can redeem their BetterPoints against rewards such as vouchers for high-street stores - or they can donate them to charity.
Anyone that lives or works in the Wokingham Borough can earn BetterPoints by downloading the BetterPoints app on their smartphone or by visiting the BetterPoints website.
