South Florida commuters have spoken, and they have grown weary of everyday traffic congestion. According to a recent survey, commuters would give up alcohol (48 percent), Netflix (29 percent), even sex (22 percent), if it meant never having to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic again.
The survey revealed they are ready for change, with more than 8 in 10 saying that commuters need more options to avoid traffic, and 7 in 10 saying they have considered moving in order to ease their daily commute.
What would they do with the extra time? More than 6 in 10 said they would spend more time with family, while 56 percent and 54 percent of respondents would spend the time exercising or relaxing, respectively.
In an effort to ease traffic pain points and give South Florida commuters some time back to engage in the things and activities they enjoy most, Brightline and Lyft have announced an expanded partnership, offering riders $5 off a Lyft ride to/from a Brightline station with the purchase of a Brightline ticket. The program began on Mar. 11.
“The survey underscores our belief that transit congestion is so much bigger than sitting in I-95 gridlock traffic,” said Ali Soule, director of Public Affairs and Media Relations for Brightline. “It’s about productivity and the precious minutes, even hours, that we are kept from the things that matter most.
“With the expanded Lyft partnership, it is our hope to incentivize more stressed drivers to not only consider Brightline but also change the overall sentiment around commuting. Getting around should be just as enjoyable as getting there,” he added.
The survey also revealed:
Instead of sitting an additional hour in traffic, 4 in 10 would rather sit in the middle seat of an airplane, while nearly 30 percent would prefer to clean their office bathroom.
Of the 88.2 percent of respondents who drive to work, 44.3 percent say their commute makes them feel annoyed, while 35.9 percent say it makes them feel anxious.
A majority of respondents (59.7 percent) agreed that, if they could, they would rather commute to work by train than drive themselves.
“Lyft is committed to helping improve congestion by providing convenient first-last mile service to Brightline’s regional rail line,” said Bakari Brock, senior director of City Partnerships. “By helping commuters connect with Brightline, we are working to provide local residents a fast and reliable alternative to commuting alone.”
In order to take advantage of the $5 off offer, riders must purchase a Brightline train ticket via www.gobrightline.com in order to receive the Lyft credit, which will be issued via emailed code.
Brightline engaged DKC Analytics, a division of DKC Public Affairs and Government Relations, to conduct and compile the survey using the online survey platform Pollfish. The regional sample of 500 adults in South Florida was surveyed between Feb. 26 and 28, 2019 in the United States. The margin of error is ± 4.47 and no additional weighting was done to the initial sample.
