2,500 downtown commuters celebrated for logging nearly 545K miles of trips that do not include single-rider cars, reducing CO2 emissions by 166 tons
SANTA CRUZ, CA (Jan. 16, 2025) — The GO Santa Cruz Downtown program is marking five years of rewarding Downtown Santa Cruz commuters for choosing sustainable transportation options such as walking, biking, carpooling and riding the bus to support the City of Santa Cruz’s goal to increase use of alternatives to single-rider car trips.
Since its launch, the GO Santa Cruz Downtown program has gained over 2,500 members who have logged over 126,000 trips that do not include single-rider cars, totaling nearly 545,000 miles and reducing CO2 emissions by 166 tons. All downtown employees can request free transit passes, bike locker credit, BCycle memberships, e-bike rebates and other transportation benefits. Users can log their alternative trips, and for every trip logged, they earn points that can be redeemed for Downtown Dollars, keeping the benefits in the downtown community. In the past five years, GO Santa Cruz users have claimed 1,368 METRO unlimited transit passes and earned $67,560 in Downtown Dollars, to be spent at local Downtown businesses.
“The GO Santa Cruz program is a triple-win for our community because we’re significantly reducing CO2 emissions, we’re building a culture that supports sustainable transportation, and we’re supporting our local economy through the sales of e-bikes and use of Downtown Dollars with local merchants,” said Matt Huffaker, Santa Cruz City Manager.
To support sustainable transportation options, GO Santa Cruz Downtown hosts monthly workshops that cover bike topics such as introduction to e-bikes, tips on winter riding, community cycling and bike safety and more. Attendees are taught crucial bike safety, how to choose the best bike for their commute and can ask questions. In partnership with Ecology Action, GO Santa Cruz also features a bi-monthly, free bike repair clinic.
In June 2023, GO Santa Cruz launched a highly successful e-bike rebate pilot for Downtown Santa Cruz employees. The rebate, which included a $400 base rebate and an $800 income-qualified rebate, aimed to reduce barriers to biking and encourage more people to commute on bikes. Since the program launched, $115,200 of rebates have been dispensed, supporting $550,617 in e-bike sales at bike shops in Santa Cruz County. Of the 217 users who purchased e-bikes, 93% replaced their car trips with a new e-bike.
About GO Santa Cruz
GO Santa Cruz is part of the City’s ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and play an active role in addressing climate change. The program features an online commute management tool to log alternative miles. Downtown employees can register by visiting https://my.cruz511.org/s/gosantacruz. In April 2021, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission expanded GO Santa Cruz to serve commuters countywide. Learn more at GoSantaCruzCounty.org.
