Commuters Will Get Paid to Leave Their Cars at Home

WASHINGTON -- How would you like to get paid for leaving your car at home?

This summer, the D.C. Department of Transportation will be paying commuters to swap their cars for buses, trains or vanpools.

"Bridge Bucks," a DDOT-sponsored program, will pay Frederick Douglass Bridge commuters to take alternative transportation during July and August.

"This is a way to help any commuters who are affected by our two-month closure of the Frederick Douglass Bridge, which is also known as the South Capitol Street Bridge," DDOT spokesman Erik Linden says.

The bridge will be completely closed to traffic in July and August, when it is lowered to create an entryway to a grand boulevard next to the new Nationals baseball stadium in Southeast.

"So basically, if you are a commuter who uses this bridge every day, this will provide you $50 per month, for two months -- so $100 total -- toward using public transportation," Linden says.

Commuters who travel across the Frederick Douglass Bridge to and from work on a daily basis are eligible to receive Bridge Bucks.

The program is available on a first-come, first-served basis for up to 1,500 commuters.

Applicants can apply for the Bridge Bucks program online.

A review board will examine applicants' addresses and daily commutes and select 15,000 people for the program.

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