getDowntown Program

06/17/2026

Many kudos are deserved for organizations that lead their size categories in most green trips taken during the 2026 Commuter Challenge! Excellent job choosing green transportation and remembering to record so many of your trips.

For their achievements in the category, we are gladly recognizing:
Small: UM ADVANCE Program, Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, and Clean Water Action
Medium: Workantile, UM Office of Campus Sustainability, and William L Clements Library
Large: Mathematical Reviews, SmithGroup, and Atomic Object
Extra Large: US EPA, Michigan Medicine, and UM Center for Academic Innovation

Stay tuned for other Honorable Mentions this week as well as updates on prize winners!

06/16/2026

We are thrilled to recognize organizations that led their size categories in Miles Not Driven during the 2026 Commuter Challenge! Getting to work while keeping miles driven low may mean choosing to ride public transit, bikes or scooters or carpooling for all or part of a commute.

For their effort, we recognize:
Small: UM ADVANCE Program, Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, and Inter-cooperative Council
Medium: SOS Community Services, UM Office of Campus Sustainability, and Ann Arbor Hands on Museum and Leslie Science and Nature Center
Large: Mathematical Reviews, Smith Group, and Atomic Object
Extra Large: US EPA, Washtenaw County Government, and UM Center for Academic Innovation

Commuters from these organizations helped reduce traffic by reducing the number of miles driven in their cars. Stay tuned for other Honorable Mentions and updates about top workplace teams!

06/15/2026

Tuesdays are Bike Nights at Top of the Park!

The community can drop by the complimentary bike tune up station at Ann Arbor Summer Festival: Top of the Park on June 16 and 23 from 5:30–8:00pm. It is a great opportunity to get your bike ready for summer commuting!

06/14/2026

Reminder: You earned it!

Commuter Challenge participants should redeem their voucher for a free scoop of ice cream to Washtenaw Dairy by Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Don't miss out on one of the rewards of choosing green commutes!

06/13/2026

TheRide buses are only blocks from many of our summer favorites in downtown Ann Arbor!

Many Ann Arbor buses are finishing their routes at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Washington St. this summer. Once there, passengers can easily go:

- east on Washington to reach Ann Arbor Summer Festival: Top of the Park
- west on Washington for 2 blocks to reach A2 Summer Streets
- north on Fifth Avenue to visit the Ann Arbor Farmers Market
- south one block from either Fifth Avenue or Division to visit Sonic Lunch!

What Ann Arbor summer favorites are you visiting by bus this year?

Main Street Area Ann Arbor bank of ann arbor Destination Ann Arbor

06/12/2026

The Commuter Challenge may be over, but the commuting tips don’t stop! Shannon from Common Cycle shares a great suggestion for multimodal bike-bus commuters. What other commuting tips do you have? Share in the comments or send us a message!

06/11/2026

The results are in for the 2026 Commuter Challenge!

During May 2026, 609 Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti commuters:
• Logged 11,570 total commute trips
• Traveled over 41,000 miles using alternate transport (like traveling around the globe almost twice)
• Reduced over 45 tons of CO2 emissions (equal to that sequestered by more than 40 acres of U.S. forests in one year)

Nicely done, and commuters!

06/11/2026

Great job to all who joined us this year! Keep watching our page for special shoutouts to top workplaces. 🏆🏅

The getDowntown Program, along with the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide), is pleased to announce that 609 people reported using green transportation for 11,570 commutes during this year’s Commuter Challenge, which ran from May 1 – May 31. The challenge inspired commuters travell...

06/08/2026

We are so grateful for all the people who stepped up to encourage co-workers and lead workplace teams during the Commuter Challenge! Their efforts help extend the reach of the Commuter Challenge to all types of area workplaces.

We are tallying the final numbers and look forward to sharing the results with the community soon!

06/05/2026

We've offered donut and coffee vouchers during the last two Commuter Challenges to team captains who wanted to host informational events about sustainable transportation at their workplaces.

These events help people sign up for the first time and learn about available resources for commuting to work in ! Don't underestimate the power of some sweet treats to help boost awareness and enthusiasm.

Photo credit: Rachel S., team captain from Cisco
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