Bytemark has announced the release of Transit GO Rewards, a mobility rewards and incentive program in the regional fare payment app Transit GO Ticket, according to the company's press release.

The program will allow users to sign-up to earn points for various actions and subsequently redeem those points for rides on King County Metro buses, water taxis, Sound Transit, Seattle Streetcar, and all local scooter and bike share companies. These include Lime, LINK, Spin, and Wheels.

The announcement is in collaboration between the Seattle Department of Transportation, King County Metro and Bytemark's rewards partner Velocia.

Transit GO Rewards will initially be available to West Seattle residents, who have been impacted by the closure of the West Seattle High-Ride Bridge. Those who live or work in the West Seattle area are eligible to take the #FlipYourTrip pledge and receive an initial sign-up bonus to use for free rides on the transportation mode of their choice through the Transit GO Ticket app.

The West Seattle High-Rise Bridge was closed in March 2020 after city engineers discovered  growing cracks in multiple locations. It is on track to reopen mid-2022, after stabilization and repair of the bridge. 

“The West Seattle Bridge closure has had a significant effect on everyone living and working in West Seattle and Duwamish Valley neighborhoods, especially people who have dealt with increased traffic and speeding through their neighborhoods” said Stefan Winkler, SDOT West Seattle Bridge travel pptions manager. "Our partnership with King County Metro, Bytemark and Velocia is an important part of our approach to help people discover more sustainable ways to get around and support long-term changes in travel patterns.”

The Seattle Department of Transportation’s “Flip Your Trip” campaign is designed to encourage people to replace car trips with other travel options such as transit, vanpooling, biking, scooting, or staying local.

King County Metro said it plans to offer expanded access to Transit GO Rewards in the future, allowing more people to ride, earn, and redeem. Transit GO Ticket is built on the Bytemark Bridge Plan, Book and Pay platform, which allows transit riders to plan a trip, then purchase tickets and passes for a number of transit options, including the King County Metro Bus, Sound Transit, The Seattle Streetcar, and the King County Water Taxi. 

“As we see traffic return following the pandemic-shutdowns, it is more important than ever to seek new ways of getting people out of their cars," said Brian Thompson, director, Business Development, Bytemark, Inc.  "We view Transit GO Rewards as the perfect catalyst for accelerating adoption of Mobility as a Service, as it generates awareness of the shared mobility options and reduces the economic barriers to changing customer behavior."