The Clear the Air Challenge is a month-long competition that gives residents the chance to reduce vehicle emissions by choosing alternative methods of transportation. By driving less and commuting smarter, we all can help improve air quality, reduce traffic and conserve energy in Salt Lake City. According to the Utah Division of Air Quality, “If all drivers living along the Wasatch Front were to park their cars just one day per week, vehicle emissions would be reduced by 6,500 tons per year.”

Rethinking your car trips can mean a lot of different things and the pandemic has changed all of our transportation routines. Now is the perfect time to revise how we get places and Bird is proud to be part of the solution by providing clean, electric scooters for last-mile rides. As part of the Clear the Air Challenge, Bird has been offering a promo code for Salt Lake City riders. Valid through March 15, 2021, the promo code CLEANAIRSLC gives Bird riders a free unlock to try out the service or encourage a return trip.

Thanks to initiatives like the Clear the Air Challenge and other smart street initiatives, an increasing number of people are trying micromobility for the first time. The trend is particularly high in North America, where the percentage of first time Bird riders has more than doubled compared to pre-COVID levels. During COVID people were staying local and supporting local businesses. For example, the Sugar House District saw a 72% increase in ridership year over year. Placing additional vehicles around the city has resulted in people supporting their businesses in their local neighborhoods.

Additionally, since last spring, we’ve seen sustained increases in trip duration of more than 50% in Salt Lake City. Initially, we attributed this to a desire by riders to simply be back outdoors enjoying fresh air and open space, but we’re seeing strong indications that it may be a much longer-term trend related to things like a preference for open-air transportation, a spike in the construction of protected cycling infrastructure, and nearly a thousand miles of new open streets across the US, like the Stay Safe, Stay Active Streets in Salt Lake City.

As the Challenge comes to a close, we encourage everyone to continue their new smart habits and do our part in helping clean the air.