The Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) of Miami-Dade County has introduced a rewards program with the aim of ensuring safe ridership on its Metrobus and Metrorail networks during the pandemic.
Working in a public-private partnership with Velocia – a mobility rewards platform provider – riders will receive rewards for answering a daily survey promoting protective face coverings and social distancing measures. They can also receive rewards for travelling outside of peak demand hours (6-8am and 3:30-5:30pm). Rewards – called VELOS – earned from the campaigns can be redeemed for Lyft and Uber Eats coupons, Citi Bike rentals, Getaround cars, and Poseidon Ferry tickets.
Velocia has been working with Miami-Dade since 2019 to promote the shared-mobility economy by encouraging users to explore carbon- and traffic-friendly ways of travel – such as car-sharing, bike-sharing and e-scooter-sharing.
“We know from our initial launch with DTPW that VELOs encourage positive commuting behaviors; pre-pandemic we saw a 15 percent month-over-month increase in public transit use by EASY Card holders,” said David Winterstein, CEO of Velocia. “Our new program with the county tackles the pandemic challenges of transit demand management and safe ridership and takes a new approach to rewarding rider loyalty to public transit and the shared-mobility ecosystem.”
“Providing safe, reliable mass transit options for essential workers is a must for Miami-Dade’s public and economic health,” said Alice Bravo, DTPW director. “Since the onset of the pandemic, we have been using every tool in our toolkit to continue to provide essential transportation to our community. By incentivizing changes in commute times through the Velocia app rewards, we are leveraging another tool to maintain optimal mass transit service while keeping our riders safe. We are enthusiastic to partner with Velocia and utilize their mobility rewards app to benefit Miami-Dade Transit riders during this trying time.”