New Coalition Targets Traffic’s Stranglehold on the Bay Area

The Bay Area Council today announced it is forming a new coalition of transportation companies focused on dramatically expanding a wide range of programs, services and technologies aimed at getting cars off of the region’s badly congested roads and highways. The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coalition will be comprised of companies that offer a variety of alternatives to the single occupancy automobile, from shuttles and ride sharing to scooters and e-bikes, and technologies that incentivize commuters not to drive alone.

“Transportation demand management isn’t the sexiest name, but it’s the fastest and least expensive way to break the stranglehold of traffic on the Bay Area,” said Gwen Litvak, Senior Vice President of Transportation Policy for the Bay Area Council. “We need new and innovative approaches for getting the 70 percent of commuters who drive alone to work every day to leave their car at home.”

While massive investments are still needed to modernize, expand and improve the Bay Area’s aging and beleaguered transportation system, transportation demand management approaches are relatively inexpensive and can be put in place much faster.

A key component of the TDM Coalition will be promoting solutions that provide financial rewards to commuters not to drive alone or to leave their car at home altogether. Hytch Rewards, a founding Coalition member, has developed an innovative rewards platform that tracks and verifies when two or more people share rides. Using this unique platform, Hytch has demonstrated that people will share rides in order to earn cash rewards, proving that rewards change behavior.

The platform also measures the emissions reduction of shared rides as well as making all shared rides carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets on behalf of Hytch users.  The Council will work with Hytch and other Coalition members to bring a host of TDM solutions to employers, transportation agencies, and local governments throughout the Bay Area.

“By rewarding people for better transit decisions and retiring carbon credits in their name, Hytch gives commuters everywhere a data dividend, as well as an opportunity to earn cash rewards,” says Mark Cleveland, Chairman and Co-Founder of Hytch. “Data is key to understanding and addressing our congestion issues as well as the impact single occupancy vehicles are having on the environment.  Any employer with a volunteer program or sustainability goal can use the Hytch platform to engage, organize and inspire their employees to join the movement.”

The Bay Area Council hopes that through innovative solutions such as the Hytch Rewards platform the Coalition will enable significant behavior change of Bay Area commuters and that together we can start defeating the enemy – the single occupancy vehicle.

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About the Bay Area Council

The Bay Area Council is a business-sponsored, public-policy advocacy organization for the nine-county Bay Area. The Council proactively advocates for a strong economy, a vital business environment, and a better quality of life for everyone who lives here. Founded in 1945, the Bay Area Council is widely respected by elected officials, policy makers and other civic leaders as the voice of Bay Area business. Today, more than 325 of the largest employers in the region support the Bay Area Council and offer their CEO or top executive as a member.

About Hytch Rewards
Hytch LLC is a Nashville-based social impact technology company that rewards people to lower carbon emissions, protect clean air and reduce traffic congestion by logging their shared commutes with the platform. By using the free Hytch Rewards app for iPhone and Android, Hytch promotes the habits of sharing a ride by enabling users to “Save Trees” and earn cash rewards when available in sponsored markets. To learn more about Hytch, visit www.hytch.me