Written By: VDOT
Northern Virginia travelers can now earn rewards, avoid traffic and construction, and take control of their ride with Dynamic Incentive features
FAIRFAX — In a major milestone in improving travel in and across northern Virginia, the Regional Multi-Modal Mobility Program (RM3P), a public and private sector program to identify and adopt technologies to improve travel in and around northern Virginia today announced the launch of the GoMyWayVA™ app, designed to make commuting easier and more rewarding. The RM3P collaborative includes the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), and Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO).
The mobile app incentivizes and rewards commuters and travelers who change their travel patterns in a way that helps improve the efficiency of the transportation network as a whole and benefits those traveling from, to, or through northern Virginia. These behavioral changes are especially critical during traffic incidents, construction delays, and peak congestion periods to help maintain network mobility. The new mobile app aims to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in northern Virginia by incentivizing commuters to:
· Change Travel Modes: Shift from single-occupancy vehicles to more transportation network efficient options like public transit, carpooling, vanpooling, biking, or walking.
· Change Route or Departure Times: Modify travel plans to bypass and ease congestion.
The app release concludes more than one and a half years of development work by the collaboration of partners to address northern Virginia’s traffic challenges by giving commuters—especially those traveling in single-occupancy vehicles—personalized and contextual travel information. The app provides users with estimated commuting costs and toll rates, intermodal trip planning, traffic cameras, and incentives for making better travel choices, whether by transit, biking, walking, or adjusting their departure time during their typical travel, or when road incidents occur.
The app’s core feature is Dynamic Incentives (DI), a real-time system that helps users avoid travel delays through real-time traffic updates, predictive travel times, and personalized route and mode alternatives. When there are traffic delays, the system proactively suggests options like switching to non-driving alternatives or traveling off-peak. Users earn rewards—and can even negotiate the amounts—for choosing these smarter travel options which can be redeemed for gift cards to stores and restaurants. The app also makes safety a top priority, with hands-free voice activation.
The app was developed with input from over 1,300 early users, including 200 active users who regularly tested the app, providing comments over the last seven months to improve the user experience ahead of this week’s full product launch.
The project has been made possible through state funding and the collective efforts of more than 22 regional partners. Twenty-three sponsors have contributed rewards that include gift cards, tickets, and other incentives. The financial sustainability of the project is ensured through establishing and maintaining strong, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“GoMyWayVA™ is a tool uniquely designed by and for the northern Virginia region—one shaped by the invaluable feedback of early users and sustained by the generous support of our regional and local sponsors who ensure travelers throughout the area continue to receive meaningful rewards and benefits,” said Catherine McGhee, P.E., Chief Deputy Commissioner, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
“What truly sets this app apart is its ability to alert drivers to incidents and delays in real time, provide a smarter, easier alternative to sitting in traffic, and even reward them for choosing a solution that helps ease congestion on our roads,” said Zach Trogdon, Chief of Public Transportation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT).
“As a decade-long partner of RM3P and strong supporter of innovation, NVTA is proud to celebrate the successful launch of GoMyWayVA™. As northern Virginia continues to grow, this innovative app offers a new approach to reducing congestion by promoting alternatives to driving alone, ultimately enhancing mobility and helping improve quality of life across our region,” said Monica Backmon, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).
By offering a variety of incentives through the GoMyWayVA™ app, the project aims to achieve both immediate and lasting behavioral changes, promoting a more sustainable transportation network in northern Virginia with the potential for expansion across Virginia. For more information, visit www.gomywayva.com, or download the free app in the App Store or Google Play.
