Reliant Bank is paying incentives to motivate commuters to share rides in an eight-county area of Middle Tennessee and in Chattanooga’s Hamilton County. To help relieve traffic congestion and ease commutes, Reliant is partnering with Nashville-based Hytch Rewards, a free smartphone app that validates and rewards ridesharing behavior through synchronized GPS technology.
As Reliant Bank grows its footprint throughout its eight-county market area in Middle Tennessee, more employees are traveling greater distances. As a Hytch Rewards partner, the bank’s employees will benefit when they carpool, ride a bus or share a ride-hail service, said officials.
“We admire what Hytch Rewards is doing to help alleviate traffic congestion and improve air quality in our communities,” said Kim York, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Reliant Bank. “Through our sponsorship, Reliant Bank becomes part of Nashville’s transit solution and brings that model to Chattanooga. It’s about partnership, promoting strong connections, and helping foster a healthier, less congested environment where we live and work.”
Hytch Rewards launched in February with Nissan North America committing to a $0.01 reward for every shared mile ending anywhere in Tennessee, and an additional $0.04 per shared mile ending in the ten-county area surrounding Nashville. Since its launch, the Hytch community has tracked and been rewarded for more than one and a half million vehicle miles not driven.
Reliant Bank’s incentive plans target:
Morning and afternoon congestion in Hamilton and Maury Counties by offering $0.04 per mile at peak weekday times.
Afternoon congestion in Rutherford, Davidson, Robertson, Williamson, Hickman, and Sumner Counties by offering $0.01 per mile during afternoon commute times.
Morning congestion for students of MTSU and Lipscomb University by offering $0.04 per mile during morning commute times.
"We know being in college is challenging enough, so we are thrilled to help relieve some of the financial burden as students travel to classes and jobs,” said Ms. York. The bank, which has branches near both campuses, also offers free student checking and savings accounts.
“Reliant Bank is taking the definition of community banking to a whole new level by investing in the communities where their employees and customers live and work," said Mark Cleveland, CEO and co-founder of Hytch. "Every mile driven with Hytch Rewards is a zero emissions mile. That means forward-thinking sponsors are responsible for almost 500 tons of carbon not emitted and saving over 33,000 trees. That’s how Reliant Bank is making a difference. Congestion in the Greater Nashville Area was the catalyst for creating the Hytch Rewards platform, and every major metropolitan area suffers when commuters ride one person in one vehicle. Our goal is to foster a ridesharing culture not only in Tennessee, but across the nation and globally. The big ideas become reality with creative community investments from an innovator like Reliant Bank.”
To learn more about the Reliant Bank partnership and rewards, visit HytchRewards.com/ReliantBank.