BUSINESSES and employees in East Sussex are invited to take part in a month-long initiative promoting travel by foot, bike, public transport or car-share.

Sustainable transport charity Sustrans is launching the second annual TravelChoice Challenge, with workplaces around the county competing to clock up the most journeys by sustainable ways of travelling.

The challenge, which is supported by East Sussex County Council, runs throughout May 2015 and aims to reduce congestion, support the local economy and encourage more active travel for short, everyday journeys.

More than 40 businesses and 250 participants took part in the inaugural challenge last year, logging almost 30,000 miles of sustainable travel.

Harriet Knights, project officer for Sustrans, said: “We had a great response to the Travelchoice Challenge last year and are hoping for an even better turnout this year.

“People taking part may find they not only improve their health and fitness but save themselves money, help the environment and ‘reclaim’ their rush hour.”

Participants record their journeys online to unlock discounts for local and national retailers and earn the chance to win weekly awards including cinema and theatre tickets and vouchers for local retailers and cafes.

Challengers will receive feedback on how many calories they’ve burned and how much money they’ve saved on each journey by choosing green alternatives to driving or removing unnecessary journeys altogether.

Meanwhile, individual challengers compete to log the most journeys while workplaces are judged on the overall rate of participation in the team.

Sussex Community Rail Partnership, Southern Rail and Brighton & Hove Buses are supporting the TravelChoice Challenge by providing taster ticket incentives and rewards for challenge participants.

People can sign up to the challenge or find out more at www.travelchoice.getmeactive.org.uk or by emailing rachael.cherry@sustrans.org.uk