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CT Rides pitches Drive Less CT challenge to NVCOG; regional goal set at 20,000 VMT reduction
Summary
CT Rides outreach specialist Dante presented the 2026 Drive Less CT challenge to NVCOG, asked municipalities to promote participation (April 22–May 31, 2026) and set local NVCOG goals of 20,000 vehicle miles reduced and 2,000 fewer trips during the challenge period.
Dante, outreach and engagement specialist covering for Sarah Roy at CT Rides (a Connecticut Department of Transportation program), presented the statewide Drive Less CT challenge and an NVCOG-specific goal for 2026.
He asked municipalities, employers and regional organizations to encourage residents to log non-single-occupancy trips — including telework, transit, carpooling, biking and walking — in the CT Rides app during the challenge (April 22–May 31, 2026). Dante described the NVCOG target of reducing 20,000 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and 2,000 trips across the region for the challenge period, explained that every logged or automated trip counts toward prizes (gift cards up to $500), and demonstrated app features such as carpool matching and an emissions/savings calculator.
During a question-and-answer period, members asked about telework’s effect on VMT trends and whether towns have participated in CTDOT’s bus shelter program. Dante and NVCOG staff said telework remains uneven and that some municipalities are pursuing DOT bus shelters but noted that maintenance agreements and local maintenance capacity have in some cases delayed shelter installations.
NVCOG staff and the CT Rides presenter offered to share the presentation slides and encouraged towns to promote registration and logging among employers, library and school partners and resident groups ahead of the challenge.
