Reward Yourself With CommuterCash

Earlier this year, Commuter Connections replaced its incenTrip rewards program with CommuterCash. So, you can ditch the old incenTrip mobile app and download the free new CommuterCash app from Apple’s App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play (for Android phones).

The streamlined CommuterCash app helps you plan your commute to work while earning rewards for logging your trips. Up to $600 can be earned per calendar year.

Using CommuterCash also helps you avoid traffic delays and monitor the environmental impact of your commute. See how much you’ve earned in estimated fuel savings and how much pollution you’ve prevented.

How to Earn

“Holy Transit Transitions, Batman!”

If you ride Metrorail, Metrobus or Ride On, you’re going to want to sit down while you read this.

News Flash #1: Ride On Is Now Free.

You read that right: Zero. Gratis. Nada. Montgomery County eliminated fares for Ride On, Ride On extRa, Ride On Flex, and Flash buses.

News Flash #2: All Metrobus Routes and Schedules Changed on June 29.

Metro (aka the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority, or WMATA) calls it the system’s “first major overhaul in 50 years.” It’s a whole new bus network: new routes, new route numbers, new timetables, new maps, different bus stops. See all the changes here.

News Flash #3: Metrorail Just Got Even Better.

Metrorail added longer weekend hours. And Red Line trains run at least every 4 minutes (up from every 5 minutes) during the busiest portions of weekday rush hours.

Ride On Made Route Changes, Too.

Montgomery County Department of Transportation changed some Ride On bus routes June 29 to sync up with Metrobus’s systemwide changes, as well as to optimize the timing and configuration of certain routes. (See all Ride On route changes here.) For example:

What Do All These Changes Mean for You?

Did You Know?

Fun fact: Ride On started 50 years ago, in 1975, with only 20 buses. Discover more about Ride On’s half-century of service.

BTS Can Help.

Need a hand navigating (and making the most of) these changes? Email Allison Kemp at AKemp@bethesda.org, or call us at 301-656-0868 (M–F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Each issue of our newsletter for the next few months will highlight various Bike to Work Day pit stop table sponsors who were at the event. This month, we feature (alphabetically) BellRinger, Bethesda Bike and Ski, and Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail.

BellRinger

“BellRinger is a bike ride raising money for cancer research at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our year-long efforts culminate every October during BellRinger Weekend, a two-day festival-like celebration and bike ride. 100% of every dollar raised by our Riders directly funds life-saving cancer research at Georgetown Lombardi. We love participating in the Bethesda BTWD pit stop every year. It's a great day to be out in the community, see some of our BellRinger Riders, and talk to some new faces about BellRinger and our mission to end cancer.”

— Kate Colgan, Senior Director of Operations and Rider Recruitment

Bethesda Bike and Ski

“Bethesda Bike and Ski was opened in August 2024 by two long-time friends and co-workers — Jeff Labow and Bruce Thompson — after their old shops, City Bikes and Big Wheel Bikes, closed. We were tired of working for others and wanted to actualize our dreams, which we had had separately for a long time. We wanted to give Bethesda a friendly community shop that people would want to come back to again and again. We also wanted to bring in skis, snowboards and service for those as well, which has been missing from this area. We have spent long periods of time within outdoor retail focused mainly on bikes and snowsports and wanted to bring our expertise and our passion to our friends and neighbors in Bethesda.”

“As a bike commuter myself, I know how important BTWD is for our community and I love being there. It is a great way for commuters to come together and know there is a big community out there also biking to work and lots of local businesses there to help them when they get in a jam. It is so lovely seeing the event grow and thrive, and so many people leaving happy with bikes that are functioning better or at the very least gain knowledge of what is going on so they can get it fixed.”

— Jeff Labow, Cofounder

Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail (CCCT)

"The CCCT is a community-based nonprofit that supports and advocates for the CCT, which is the most popular and heavily used trail in the D.C. metro area. We constantly receive complaints from walkers and runners that cyclists on the CCT fail to give notice when they are going to pass. So, for many years, we have had Bells and Bands events on the CCT where we distribute free Mirrycle bike bells to cyclists on condition that they promise to use the bells. We want the CCT to be enjoyable and safe for all who use the trail. We also give out reflective bands to walkers and runners. We have been very happy to participate in the annual Bike to Work Day events because it gives us another opportunity to distribute free bells and remind cyclists to use the bells when passing others."

— Anthony Marra, Chair / Assistant Treasurer

Morris Klein, second from the right, speaking with attendees

Bethesda elder law attorney and frequent cyclist Morris Klein didn’t know he would be riding away from downtown Bethesda’s Bike to Work Day pit stop as the proud winner of a generous gift certificate from Bethesda Bike and Ski.

Klein had volunteered to help staff the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail (CCCT) table during the pit stop event on May 15. He’s been attending BTWD since the event came to the DMV region in 2001.

His cycling days go back even further. He’s lived in Bethesda since 1990, began working here in 1997, and has been pedaling to work most days since then.

Why does he bike to work? “It’s more efficient, more environmentally friendly than driving and faster than walking,” says Klein.

It helps that his law office is a quick two miles from home. He’s been practicing for over 40 years, focusing on estate planning and legal issues faced by persons who are aging or incapacitated. (Learn more about his services at MorrisKlein.com.)

When he’s not cycling to work or volunteering for the CCCT, Klein can often be found riding his six-year-old hybrid Specialized on one of his favorite trails. In addition to the CCT, those include Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park, the Mount Vernon Trail, and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.

He also likes to rent a bicycle and pedal along trails when he is out of town, including the Junction & Breakwater Trail loop between Rehoboth and Lewes, the West Side Trail in New York, the Minuteman Trail in Boston, the Lake Shore Trail in Chicago and most recently the Coastal Trail in Anchorage.

Klein sees the contrast between biking around town today versus decades ago when he first started.

“The ease of commuting has improved since I first came to Washington,” he says. “There were very few bike lanes back then. Now, people are more accepting of bikes as a legitimate form of commuting.”

So, what might he be spending that gift certificate on at Bethesda Bike and Ski? “I don’t have a wish list,” Klein says. “I’ll have to go look around the store!”