FAQs

Who is eligible to participate in Switch Your Trips?

Anyone who lives, attends school, or works in the State of Washington and is at least eighteen years old is eligible to participate in Switch Your Trips.

Who organizes and sponsors Switch Your Trips?

Switch Your Trips is organized by the Washington State Ridesharing Organization (WSRO), specifically its Promotional Advisory Committee.

WSRO’s mission is to support and inspire Transportation Demand Management (TDM) practitioners in Washington State to increase the use of sustainable transportation options.

Funding for Switch Your Trips comes from local and county governments, Washington State Department of Transportation, and corporate sponsors.

What is RideshareOnline.com?

RideshareOnline.com is a statewide ridematching and trip logging system maintained by King County Metro. Visit RideshareOnline.com for more information.

Switch Your Trips uses the RideshareOnline.com system to track logged trips. Some jurisdictions use their own trip logging system. Please refer to the Log My Trips page for more information.

Will I need pay to use RideshareOnline.com and participate in Switch Your Trips?

The RideshareOnline.com system is free. There is no cost to use the system or to participate in Switch Your Trips.

What personal information will you have if I create a RideshareOnline.com account?

Go to https://smartrideshare.com/privacy-policy to view the privacy policy. Rideshare Online is powered by smartrideshare^TM technology.

Will WSRO use my information for any purpose other Switch Your Trips? Do any of the sponsors receive my personal information?

No to both questions. WSRO will only use your personal information to communicate with you about Switch Your Trips. WSRO will not sell, distribute, or otherwise disseminate your personal information to any sponsor or third-party.

What trips should I record on the calendar?

You can record your commutes (trips to or from work) as well as personal trips (e.g., walking or rolling to the grocery store, taking light rail to a ballgame or concert, or carpooling to dinner with friends). Basically, anything where the origin and destination are not the same and the trip could potentially have been in a single occupancy vehicle. For Switch Your Trip, all trips must begin and/or end in Washington State.

See the Log My Trips page for more information.

What if I have a multi-modal trip (for example, bicycling to a bus stop)?

When you have a multi-modal trip and all the modes used are non-drive alone, you can log each leg of the trip or just the leg that is the longest portion of the trip in terms of distance traveled. As you log your trips, just be sure to have the correct origin and destination for each leg of the trip.

If you have a multi-modal trip where the longest portion of the trip is driving alone, you should record the trip as drive alone only.

How long do I have to record a trip on the calendar?

At RideshareOnline.com one has up to 30 days after the trip date to record a trip on their calendar. Other calendars may have a different timeframe to log a trip. To be eligible for the Switch Your Trips prize drawing, trips must be taken between October 1st and October 31st and all trips must be logged by November 7th.

What qualifies as a carpool trip?

For the purposes of Switch Your Trips, a carpool is two or more people of legal driving age who, in terms of driving distance, share a majority of the trip together. A carpool must be eliminating a trip, meaning the other person would have otherwise driven themself.

What is vanpool?

Vanpool is a group of at least three people who regularly commute together using a vehicle provided by a local transit agency. Please reach out to your local transit agency for more information on vanpooling. If your worksite has an Employee Transportation Coordinator, they can be a resource as well.

How should I record a trip made on a ferry when the ferry was the longest portion of the trip?

For passenger ferries (e.g., King County Metro Water Taxi), you should record the trip be selecting passenger ferry. For Washington State Ferries, select the mode you used when boarding the ferry: if you drove alone onto a ferry, you should record that trip as drive alone; if you carpooled onto the ferry, you should record that trip as carpool; if you walked onto the ferry, you should record that trip as walk, etc.

How should I record a trip made via my employer’s private shuttle service?

You should select the bus option when recording a trip made via your employer’s private shuttle service.

How should I record a trip made on a motorcycle or motor scooter?

You should select the drive alone option when recording trips made on a motorcycle or motor scooter. Kick scooters and e-scooters can be recorded as bicycle or walk trips.

How should I record a trip made using a kick scooter or e-scooter?

Record trips made using a kick scooter or e-scooter as bicycle or walk trips.

How should I record a trip made in an electric vehicle?

You should record a trip in an electric vehicle as a drive alone trip unless you have a passenger in the vehicle of legal driving age for at least a majority of the trip, in which case you can record it as a carpool trip.

Can I record trips on the calendar that were for exercise or recreation?

No. The only trips that you should record on your calendar are those that could have potentially been drive alone trips. We encourage cycling, running, walking, etc. for exercise but the intent of this promotion is for people to reduce drive alone trips; driving alone is not a form of exercise.

Are prizes awarded through Switch Your Trips WA considered taxable income?

Yes. For prizes worth less than $600, it is the recipient’s responsibility to comply with all relevant IRS income reporting guidelines. For prizes valued at least $600, Switch Your Trips will comply with all applicable IRS reporting requirements for all prize winners, including but not limited to submitting a Form 1099-MISC.