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SLC residents asked to ‘Ditch the Car’ in exchange for hundreds of dollars in transit

Posted at 4:06 PM, Sep 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-26 20:25:29-04

SALT LAKE CITY – The city of Salt Lake is looking to give residents hundreds of dollars in transportation options for those willing to give up their cars for one month.

It’s called “Ditch Your Car,” a new challenge brought about by Salt Lake City in partnership with Utah Transit Authority, GREENbike and Lyft.

Whether it’s by TRAX, by bus, or by bike, the transportation opportunities in Salt Lake City can be found everywhere.

“Kind of seems like you don’t need a car,” laughed Jeremy Neigher, Lyft’s Utah Market Manager. “This city can be connected outside of the personal ownership of a vehicle and the city can be connected a little more conveniently than some people think."

It’s all about turning Salt Lake into a “multi-modal” city.

“Which is connecting people to transportation through other forms of transportation,” Neigher explained.

“All of these multi-modal opportunities exist for residents in Salt Lake City,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski.

But despite the options, if you head downtown you’ll more than likely see cars - and lots of them.

“They’re not clear on all of the opportunities that exist to really help them get around,” Biskupski said.

The city said all of those cars leave behind congestion and smog; plus, “owning a car is expensive, it’s 9-thousand dollars a year on average,” Neigher said.

So they want to see change and they’re putting out a nice chunk of change to make it happen.

“I do think it will work,” Biskupski said. “There will be 50 people selected at random.”

Neigher said the people selected will get a 30-day pass to use Lyft, a one month transit pass through Hive pass and a GREENbike subscription.

That’s more than 400 bucks worth of stuff. But to get your name in the running, you have to be willing to give up your wheels.

“People will see that they really don’t need their car to get around Salt Lake City and they’ll create a habit from this opportunity,” Biskupski said.

Hopefully, the campaign will make ride sharing, bike sharing and public transit more visible to the public.

“These options are affordable, reliable, safe and convenient today,” Neigher said. “People can really see that they can get where they need to get with a multitude of options.”

“We’re hoping that people will cash in and ditch their cars!” Biskupski said with a smile.

The 50 winners will be selected at random and be able to use their new transit options and passed beginning October 8, ending November 6.

Interested Salt Lake City residents can enter online through Sunday, September 30 by clicking here.