Play TranspoBINGO and help highlight the benefits of active transportation in the region

Roses are red, violets are blue, it’s the time of year again to declare your love for something tried and true. Nope, not to your sweetie – but of public transportation and public spaces as TranspoBINGO returns for 2022.

While COVID-19 continues to impact us all in different ways, the ongoing pandemic has shed new light on the importance of public transportation, as well as walking, biking, scooting, and other people-powered ways of getting around, as well as public spaces.

And that means we should have fun exploring new ways to get around and promote active transportation.

Why public and active transportation matter

Families without cars in the district are already more likely to live in areas with limited access to other forms of transportation and poor infrastructure, compounded by lack of access to basic needs like grocery and healthcare. Many who rely on non-car travel, like Metrobus, are low-income and non-white.

We’ve spent the last year navigating our new reality – from vaccine appointments across town to tracking down COVID tests at the nearest library, wafering between in-person and virtual realities with school, work, and social engagements. Our local and national economies contracted, increasing the already existing challenges in funding basic services, and to be frank, the supply chain is a mess. It’s been hard and exhausting to pivot constantly.

During this time WMATA, the region’s transit agency, has had to navigate several challenges, from service cuts, to bus operator shortages, and plummeting ridership numbers, all while instituting new measures to keep people safe. Meanwhile, essential and many low-income workers have continued to work in person, many commuting by public transportation. Advocacy for equitable public transportation and infrastructure is more important now than ever.

The TranspoBINGO origin story

The TranspoBINGO game was first held in February of 2020, with the goal of getting more people – including elected officials, advocates, and residents around the Washington region – to change up their routines, and commit to traveling via public and active transportation over the course of a week in order to experience the strengths and weaknesses of our transportation networks and better advocate for improvements.

The game was inspired by Action Committee for Transit, a group in Montgomery County that challenged councilmembers and other elected officials in the county to use only public and active transportation for a week, and share their experiences of the strengths and weaknesses of non-car transportation systems on social media. This challenge emphasized the value of experiencing first hand the difficulties and rewards of traveling without a car in a car-oriented region.

TranspoBINGO gives participants the chance to shake things up a little, providing an incentive to visit new places, try new ways of moving around the region, and gain the sense of accomplishment that only a big checkmark can provide.

Same rules - slightly different bingo squares

TranspoBINGO continues to encourage participants to use and support active transportation, and take advantage of local public spaces. The game rewards players for taking different types of trips (like multi-modal travel), exploring public spaces (like parks and libraries), and supporting and advocating for active transportation (like by sending a letter to an elected official advocating for improvements).

Given the ongoing pandemic, this year’s bingo challenge is designed to be COVID-19 safe (you can even complete a few squares from the comfort of your couch!), while still being fun, interactive and accessible, and encouraging people to get out of our cars and engage in active transportation.

Most importantly, TranspoBINGO is an opportunity to recognize the continued importance and use of our public transit systems – particularly for our region’s essential workers – and to push for improved and equitable public transit and infrastructure. As you play, we invite you to consider some of the following questions:

• Which trip was the most challenging? Why?
• Which trip was the most fun? Why?
• How easy would it be to make this trip on a regular basis?
• Would I feel safe taking this trip regularly? Why or why not?
• Would it be convenient to take this trip this way regularly? Why or why not?
• What did you learn about a new-to-you public space?

Okay ready to play? Here’s the new card.

You can also click here for more information and to register for the TranspoBINGO Happy Hour on Feb. 17.

Editor’s note: This challenge is co-hosted by Greater Greater Washington, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Erin Palmer, and Rachel Maisler.