Goals
The goal of this project is to motivate UCSB commuters to shift away from single-occupancy vehicle use and promote long-term behavior changes that reduce UCSB’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, one of the university’s major sources of carbon output.
Deliverables
- This program is being piloted in Fall 2025 and we expect to have our first deliverables in Winter 2026.
Outcomes/Metrics
Fall Outcomes
- 49 completed survey
- 25 Completed the two-step sign-up process
- 9 eligible participants tracked at least one ride
- 7 completed 16 days of non-SOV commuting in Fall 2026
- Of these, 4 were parking permit holders
Winter Recruitment
- 15 applied to participate
- Of those, 1 are not eligible (live too close to campus)
- 6 are driving at least 4 days a week currently and aiming to move up to 2 days a week or more of alt. Commute
- 7 are already commuting two or more days by alt commute and will be competing to increase that.
- All of the 15 have campus parking permits (including the two that live in IV)
About
The Commute Reset Challenge is a 90-day challenge designed to encourage staff, faculty, and students to shift away from single-occupancy vehicle commutes and use alternative modes of transportation, such as biking, public transit, carpools, vanpools, train, or walking. Participants must utilize these alternative transportations at least 16 times throughout Fall Quarter to qualify for a $60 gift card incentive.
Araceli Avina Rodriguez, the Project Lead, was hired in Summer 2025 and currently serves as the Pilot Program Coordinator. She is responsible for the organization and implementation of this challenge. Throughout the summer, she began developing program logistics and launching outreach campaigns to recruit participants. Since the start of Fall Quarter, she has overseen participant activity to ensure the smooth operation of the SmartRide platform, which records commutes, calculates CO2 savings, and monitors participant progress.
The concept for this project was developed by Lainey Djajakusuma, a UC President's Bonnie Reiss Climate Action fellow, in the 2024-2025 school year. Lainey also wrote a TGIF grant for the challenge. The project was developed as a potential action in UCSB's Draft Climate Action Plan.
Partners
- Mariah Hudnut, Transportation Alternatives Program
- Katie Maynard, Sustainability Internships and Community Resources
- Peter Williamson, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments
Funders
- This project is supported through a grant from The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF).
- Bici Centro and Trek also provide in-kind donations to support participants in the challenge.
Project Leads
- Araceli Avina Rodriguez
Ways to Get Involved
Additional Commute Challenges will be offered in Winter and Spring 2026. Contact sa-commutechallenge@ucsb.edu.
Related Projects & More Info
Check out the Commute Reset Challenge page for more information on how to participate!