Riding a bike is full of benefits all on its own. Making it your commute mode just keeps the good times rolling. What do we love so much about biking to work?
May is National Bike Month! First established in 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists, Bike Month is a chance to spread the word of the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to try biking.
Why should you consider investing in a bicycle? We have some ideas. Here are three reasons why biking is worth it if your city has bike-friendly infrastructure.
One of the greenest days of the year is coming up this Friday—Earth Day! This is where our global community works together to invest in our planet and make changes to take action on climate, and we want to make it even better. We are going to live like it’s Earth Week.
Each day leading up to Friday, we’re going to challenge ourselves to make a positive change in honor of Earth Day. Here’s our plan of action for Earth Week.
Meat production and livestock farming are responsible for a large portion of our greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The production of meat worldwide causes twice the pollution of production of plant-based foods. Dedicating one day a week to eating meat-free is a great tiny step to make an impact on the meat production industry.
We’re big believers in taking things one step at a time. Shifting your lifestyle dramatically to be more sustainable isn’t likely to stick long-term. Just like our ideals of ridesharing, starting with taking a carpool one day a week is a great goal to start. Taking a tiny step today is the best start to taking care of the earth. Reduce your use of paper products, try transit one day a week, start using reusable shopping bags more consistently. We’ve got this!
Our daily waste can be more than we realize. Water, food, plastic, clothing; it weighs over time. Transitioning into a no-waste lifestyle is difficult, but taking tiny steps is a great way to make a difference. I can repurpose my produce that’s about to go bad by freezing it and putting it in a smoothie. I can let my friends or family go through my bag of clothes I’ve been meaning to donate. I can make sure I’m bringing a reusable water bottle with me so I don’t have to buy a plastic one.
Public transit is a driving force in climate action within the transportation sector. One bus takes dozens of single occupancy cars off the road. By lessening traffic congestion and the number of commuters driving alone, public transportation reduces fuel use and connects people to their communities. Riding on CTTransit is free through June 20th, 2022 in Connecticut. Maybe this Earth Day is your perfect chance to give transit a try!
We’re saving the best for last, and for Earth Day! Our mission since 1980 has been to lessen the number of single occupancy vehicles on the road to enhance the quality of our environment. This year on Earth Day, going car-free could be an amazing way for us to all come together and make a difference. Imagine a day where the streets are empty besides buses and bikes, and the sidewalks are full with people walking, running, or rolling!
While not everyone is physically able to walk, bike, or take the bus, those who are could make a great impact by choosing to go car-free for a whole day.
Working for a company that strives to make a positive impact on our environment makes Earth Day a perfect time to push ourselves to make changes in our daily lives. What will you do this Earth Day to make your mark?
As we adjust to being back in the office on a hybrid structure, I’m learning new things everyday about taking public transit to work. Being prepared is the key to having a commute without hiccups, and we’ve put together a list of the things that have changed my bus ride for the better.
The first day I took the bus to work, I had a tote bag, a lunch box, and my travel mug that I was juggling on and off the bus. I felt like at any moment I could drop my coffee or watch my lunch bag go tumbling to the floor. This began my search for my perfect commuter bag.
This backpack that I found on Amazon has a laptop sleeve, a USB port, an insulated lunch bag with its own pocket in the backpack, and two elastic bottle holders on each side. I have free hands, and this bag fits everything I need for a day at the office and more. On top of that, it’s super sleek, modern, and stylish. Every coworker who sees it says “Oh, I need that!”
Perfect to go along with your new commuter backpack is a power bank or portable charger. Having a charge on your phone can eliminate the stress of watching your battery trickle down as you listen to your favorite podcast or text your friends on your way home from the office.
Having your phone charged is also super important if you’re just starting out on public transit like me. I am always tracking which bus I’ll be taking and my route to and from work. Having your phone charged keeps your commute smooth and stress-free.
As long as you have a smart phone, you can download the Transit app. In over 200 cities worldwide, this app connects you to trip planning capabilities and a real-time bus movement tracker. It’s a transit rider’s best friend.
It’s streamlined, it’s visually appealing, and it’s super simple to use, even for someone like me who is brand new to taking the bus.
My first day on the bus, my travel mug lid popped off and hit the bus floor. Yes, I immediately turned red. In today’s environment of bacteria fear, this was my nightmare. I spiraled into a deep dive for a travel mug with a sealed lid that would never fall off again.
My perfect travel mug find: the Yeti Rambler with a Hotshot cap. The screw-on lid is 100% leakproof and fully rotational. Even if you don’t ride the bus, we still highly recommend this travel mug to keep your tea or coffee hot all day long.
With our perfect commuter starter kit, you’re all set to take the bus or train like a pro! To our fellow transit riders: What are your must-haves for a successful, stress-free commute?
When my 2010 Toyota Corolla was totaled back in November of 2021 (the day after Thanksgiving), I had no clue what to do.
When my time was up with my insurance-covered rental vehicle, I felt hopeless.
I work for The Rideshare Company, for crying out loud! Why was I so upset to not have a car? I live next to a transit station. I have friends and coworkers to pick me up if need be. As I hunted for a car online in a historically bad time to purchase a vehicle, the realization crept in that Maybe I wasn’t meant to have a car right now.
As someone who has always had a car to rely on, I have very little experience with taking the public bus. (Ok, you got me—I’ve never taken a city bus.) I put that inexperience aside and dove into looking into what it would take to ride public transit to and from the Rideshare office.
Here’s what I’ve found.
Along with extremely high prices on new and used cars, the price of a gallon of gasoline is reaching up into the $4.35 range in Connecticut. Every channel of social media is people posting the gas prices near them, outraged and helpless.
The first time I went to the CT Fastrak platform to buy a bus ticket, my jaw dropped. $3.50 for a day pass with unlimited local rides. It dawned on me the amount of money I would be able to save using the public bus for the foreseeable future.
One thing that scared me about not having a car was losing my freedom. I love being able to spend a Saturday morning driving to the farmers market, the thrift store, a local coffee shop, or picking a hiking spot in my area. Truthfully, I know this will be difficult when the weather starts to get nice in Connecticut. But, looking at my bank statements, losing the ability to impulsively go spend money has been amazing for me. My savings account is growing because I can’t run to Target when I’m bored on a Sunday afternoon.
I can still get to anywhere I need to go on the bus, it just takes a little more planning and time. So, it forces me to be more intentional with my trips into town.
My first morning catching the 7:07 AM bus to the Rideshare office, I was anxious. Sitting at the Fastrak stop, my mind was racing with thoughts like, “Maybe I should just work from home.” “What if I get on the wrong bus?” “What if my transfer in Hartford is too confusing?” Pushing through these thoughts and getting on the bus, I was instantly relieved. Being greeted by the smiling bus driver, looking around at healthcare workers commuting, a mother and her son, a woman with hiking shoes and a backpack; I felt at ease. I put in my headphones and was able to watch the city pass me by, forgetting the stresses that my commute from New Britain to Bloomfield used to cause me every morning at rush hour.
I’ve been asking myself: Will I save up for a car? When or if I do, will I return to my old ways of commuting and being dependent on my personal vehicle for everything? I can confidently say, I highly doubt it. I think having a car is in my future, so I can go visit my friends and family in other areas. However, after my first day commuting by public transit, I don’t think I can ever justify my 35-minute, traffic-filled commute again.
This seems like the beginning of many great adventures, and a way better daily commute!