Every green trip logged on the WAY TO GO app and event attended brings us one step closer to our vision of a region where sustainable transportation is the best way to connect people and places.
In 2024, WAY TO GO achieved the following:
- Built community around sustainable transportation. WAY TO GO hosted eight public events, including the Transit Funding 101 panel, Kansas City Transportation History Hikes (in collaboration with Urban Hikes KC), Bike Buses for Grown-ups, Bikes Connect Us Community Bike Ride (in collaboration with Women-Led Cycling), a green commuter breakfast stop and the Green Commute Challenge Finale Party.
- Helped residents find greener ways to get to work. We grew our usership of the WAY TO GO app and assisted commuters and employers around their region with their transportation needs to increase the number of people carpooling, biking, walking, scooting or riding transit to work.
- Provided rewards to sustainable transportation users. WAY TO GO gave away more than a dozen prize packages from local businesses to Green Commute Challenge participants in October, including a grand prize e-bike courtesy of Elite Cycling. App users also redeemed discounts from businesses and won monthly gift card drawings throughout the year on the WAY TO GO app.
- Served as a safety net for commuters with our Guaranteed Ride Home program. Green commuters can have up to two Uber, Lyft or taxi rides home reimbursed in case of emergency or illness each year. This ensures that just because someone takes transit or rides their bike to work, they can still have an easy and accessible way to get home when they need it most. (App users are automatically eligible.)
- Connected residents to planning and public engagement efforts around the region. There was a wealth of planning efforts in 2024, including the ConnectedKC 2050 update and Bi-State Sustainable Investment Corridor project. With your input, regional planners are able to set priorities that best reflect our communities’ needs.
- Received regional recognition. WAY TO GO earned two silver Philly Awards from NonProfit Connect for “Best Marketing Campaign” and “Best Website.” The Philly Awards celebrate marketing, communications and fundraising in the local nonprofit sector.
In 2025, we are excited to build on this momentum to:
- Deepen our outreach and engagement with employers and business leaders around the region to increase community support and usage of sustainable transportation modes, keeping our air clean and roadways free of congestion.
- Nurture partnerships with community organizations and leaders to ensure our region’s most vulnerable residents have access to safe, reliable and affordable transportation options.
- Collaborate with regional mobility leaders as part of WAY TO GO partners where we regularly meet with staff from RideKC, KC Streetcar, Johnson County Transit, Commute with Enterprise, BikeWalkKC, RideKC Bike and Bird, to ensure coordination and communication to residents.
- Support existing green commuters and engage new audiences with events and campaigns focused on sustainable transportation and regional planning issues.
- Connect our community with engagement opportunities. This includes the Kansas City Regional Climate Action Plan update, Smart Moves Transit and Mobility Plan and the Regional Transportation Resiliency Plan.
Here’s how you can support our work:
- Connect us with your employers to create more sustainable workplaces around the region. Email us (info@waytogokc.org) if you’d like to get started.
- Take our survey and share your ideas of what you want to see more of in 2025 and beyond. Fill out the short form here.
