Commuter programs and communications

The challenge

511 CCTA, formerly 511 Contra Costa, encourages alternatives to driving alone through commuter incentives, education, and community outreach. Its programs promote shared and active transportation, with goals of reducing congestion and improving air quality. Reaching commuters, students, and families requires clear information and accessible tools for participation.

Our work

Across dozens of projects for 511 CCTA, we have designed TDM programs, analyzed program effectiveness, built public websites and account tools, and managed social media and email campaigns. We also manage the Street Smarts Contra Costa program page, supporting youth safety education and community outreach.

E-bike rebates: website, forms, and digital outreach

511 CCTA’s E-Bike Rebate Program helps Contra Costa County residents purchase e-bikes and encourages replacing everyday car trips with active transportation.

BlinkTag built the program website and forms and supported digital outreach through email and social media. This work helped residents learn about the rebate program and access the information and forms needed to participate.

Explore the E-Bike Rebate Program↗

Youth transportation websites and outreach

Our work for 511 CCTA also includes the Walk N Roll website, the Street Smarts Contra Costa program page, and Bike Family Fest event pages and digital outreach. Together, these programs connect students, families, and schools with walking, biking, and traffic safety resources.

Explore our youth transportation work↗

Text Your Commute: daily travel surveys by SMS

For 511 CCTA, BlinkTag built Text Your Commute, a Twilio-powered survey that collected daily travel choices by text message. The month-long study supported rewards for participants who avoided driving alone.

Repeated responses gave program evaluators a record of commute choices over time.

Explore the Text Your Commute source code↗

Air-quality information on a phone

For 511 CCTA, we also developed iSmog, an iPhone app that displayed Bay Area air-quality forecasts and a forecast map. Users could set an air-quality threshold for push notifications, while the app brought in regional alerts such as Spare the Air Day and Don’t Burn Tonight.

Program participation accounts

We built a public account system where residents can manage their participation in commuter programs.

A website built around transportation choices

The website includes commuting options, incentives, cycling tools, and program information, with tools for staff to manage participation.