Consider 'Ditch Day' During Congestion-Filled 1st Day Of SXSW

AUSTIN, TEXAS — SXSW is right around the corner (it kicks off on Friday, March 8), which means many things to many people, but also means traffic congestion as tens of thousands descend upon the city for the annual, massive festival.

But fear not, weary traveler. A number of transportation providers are teaming up for "Ditch Day," designed to promote use of other modes of transport to get around — including public transportaion and ride-share or electric scooter offerings from Lyft.

Lyft has joined forces with Capital Metro, Movability, and the Downtown Austin Alliance to form the Ditch Day Partnership. This initiative will educate Austinites about alternate methods of transportation, including public transportation and Lyft’s rideshare and scooter offerings, and make them more accessible for daily use, helping to ease congestion, reduce environmental impacts and make the most out of travel time.

March 8th is the first iteration of Ditch Day, an ongoing program aimed at helping to reduce congestion in Austin. And the initiative comes not a moment too soon, as UT-Austin classes will still be in session to exacerbate the influx of visitors on city roads on Friday, which is expected to be one of the busiest traffic days of the year in Austin .

On March 8, Austinites can apply the code DITCHDAY for 25 percent off two Shared Lyft rides, and sign up to access a free Capital Metro day pass here. Those passes will be dropped into users' accounts on March 7, Patch was told. Additionally, riders can also share on social media how they are “ditching” their cars and talking alternative transportation, using the hashtag #ditchdayatx, to enter to win $100 in Lyft ride credit.

“Austinites don’t have to wait for new infrastructure to begin addressing transportation issues in our city,” said Lisa Kay Pfannenstiel, Executive Director of Movability. “Ditch Day encourages Austinites to rethink transportation habits, enabling us to choose options that save money, increase productivity, and reduce stress while on the road.”

Further information on the partnership is available on the Lyft blog here.

Photo courtesy of Lyft

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