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Everything you need to know about using Shift, unlocking rewards, running a schools challenge, or joining as a partner.

App Users

Rewards Partners

Schools

Getting Started

Shift is a free app from Green Streets Initiative that logs your walking, biking, and transit trips — and rewards you for choosing active transportation. You’ll earn XP, unlock achievement badges, climb tier levels, and unlock perks at local Rewards Partners as you go. You can also enter prize draws during seasonal events like Shift Your Summer.

Shift is available on the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Search for “Shift by Green Streets Initiative” or follow the download links on our homepage.

Open the app and tap "Get Started." You can sign up with your email address, or sign in with Apple or Google. You’ll be asked to choose a display name and can add your neighborhood to appear on local leaderboards.
Yes. Shift is completely free to download and use. There are no premium tiers, in-app purchases, or hidden fees.

Tracking Your Trips

Shift uses background location services on your phone to automatically detect when you’re walking, biking, or taking transit. When a trip is detected, it’s logged with the distance, duration, and mode. You’ll see it appear in your trip history.
Shift recognizes walking, biking, public transit (bus, subway, commuter rail), carpooling, and e-scooter rides. These are the modes that earn XP and count toward your tier. Driving does not.
A few common reasons: (1) Location permissions may not be set to "Always Allow" — check your phone’s Settings > Shift > Location. (2) Very short trips (under a couple of minutes) may not register. (3) Poor GPS signal in areas like tunnels or underground stations can occasionally cause a trip to be missed. If a trip is missing, you can always log it manually.
Yes. From the home screen, tap the + button and choose Log past trip. Enter the mode, approximate distance, and date. Manual trips earn XP and count toward your tier the same way automatic trips do.
Background tracking is generally accurate within a reasonable margin. GPS precision varies depending on your environment — dense urban areas with tall buildings and underground transit can reduce accuracy. The app uses intelligent filtering to distinguish modes, but occasional misclassifications can happen.
Shift uses efficient background location services designed to minimize battery impact. Most users see minimal additional drain. If you notice an issue, make sure your phone’s OS and the Shift app are both up to date.

Earning XP & Unlocking Rewards

Shift uses an access-based rewards model. As you take active trips you earn XP and climb through five tiers. Once you reach the second tier (Mover), all Rewards Partner offers are unlocked — discounts, freebies, or member-only deals at local businesses. You don’t spend XP to redeem; your tier is your key.
You earn XP every time you log an active trip (walk, bike, transit, carpool, or e-scooter). The amount per trip depends on your tier: Starters earn 1 XP per trip, Movers 2, Shifters 3, Pacesetters 4, and Trailblazers 5. You can earn up to 15 XP per day from trips. On top of that, you earn bonus XP for hitting badge milestones (streaks, distances, mode mix) and for tier promotions. During a Featured Goal sprint, completing the goal in time gives you a 50% XP bonus on the badge.
No. XP is a record of your progress, not a wallet. It drives tier advancement and shows up on your profile so you can see how far you’ve come — but you never spend it to redeem an offer. Rewards Partner offers are unlocked by your tier.
Open the Rewards tab to see what’s available. All offers unlock once you reach Mover (the second tier). Tap any offer to see the details, the partner location, and any terms. To redeem in-store, show your tier badge on the app screen to the cashier and they’ll apply the offer.
Your current XP total and tier are visible on your profile screen and on the home screen status card. The Rewards tab also shows your tier so you can quickly see which offers are unlocked.
XP is a progression metric, so there’s nothing to "expire" — your lifetime XP and tier history are always part of your profile. If you stop using the app for a long time we may archive inactive accounts, but as long as you’re using Shift your progress is safe.

Email us at info@gogreenstreets.org with the partner name, date, and what happened. We’ll sort it out with the partner directly so you get the offer.

Badges, Streaks & Tiers

Shift has five tiers: Starter, Mover, Shifter, Pacesetter, and Trailblazer. You advance by accumulating active trips and maintaining a strong Shift Rate. Each step up unlocks more Rewards Partner offers and increases the XP you earn per trip.
Shift Rate is the percentage of your total trips that are active — walking, biking or scooting, or taking transit. The home screen shows your 7-day Shift Rate as a quick read on how the week is going. Tier advancement uses your 60-day Shift Rate so a single off-week doesn’t bump you down a tier.
Achievement badges are earned by reaching specific milestones — trying new modes, building streaks, hitting cumulative distance goals, completing Roams, and more. Check your profile to see which badges you’ve unlocked and what’s next. Most badges award bonus XP when earned.
A Featured Goal is a 14-day sprint highlighting the next badge you’re closest to earning. If you complete the goal within the 14-day window, you get a 50% XP bonus on top of the badge’s normal XP. Featured Goals replace the older "challenges" concept — same idea, more personalized.
A streak counts the days when you take at least one active trip (walking, biking, transit, or e-scooter). You get a 2-day grace window — miss up to two days in a row and the streak stays alive. Take an active trip on the third day or sooner to keep going. Three consecutive days without an active trip resets the streak. We also automatically protect your streak during significant MBTA service disruptions so you’re not penalized for something outside your control.
Your current streak resets to 1, but your longest streak is saved on your profile. Streaks are meant to be motivating, not punishing — start a new one whenever you’re ready.

Roams

A Roam is a curated outing — a set of checkpoints along a walking, biking, transit, or multi-modal route that you visit in any order. Think of it as a self-guided tour that rewards you for exploring your city by active transportation. Roams range from quick neighborhood loops to longer cross-city adventures.
Open the Community tab and look for available Roams. Tap one to see its checkpoints on a map, the estimated distance, and which modes are recommended (walk, bike, transit, or any combination). When you’re ready, tap Start. The app will track your progress as you visit each checkpoint.
As you move near a checkpoint, the app detects your arrival automatically using your phone’s location. If auto-detection doesn’t trigger (GPS can be imprecise in dense areas), you can tap the checkpoint on the map and use the manual check-in button when you’re nearby. Either way counts the same.
Most Roams require visiting all checkpoints to complete. Some longer Roams have a lower threshold — for example, a 20-checkpoint trail Roam might only require 16. The Roam detail screen shows how many checkpoints you need.
No. You choose your own path between checkpoints. The map shows checkpoint locations, but how you get between them is up to you. Walk, bike, or take transit — whatever the Roam’s recommended modes include.
Completing a Roam earns you a badge and XP. Some Roams are part of collections — finish all Roams in a collection for a bonus badge. During Shift Your Summer, completing a Roam also earns bonus sweepstakes entries.
Always follow traffic laws and use sidewalks, bike lanes, and crosswalks. Stay aware of your surroundings — don’t stare at your phone while moving. Plan your route before you start, especially for longer Roams. Bring water, wear weather-appropriate gear, and let someone know your plans for longer outings. The app is a guide, not a GPS navigator — use your own judgment about safe routes.

Finding Rewards Partners

The Rewards tab in the app shows available partner offers in your area. Each offer lists the partner location, the offer details, and the minimum tier required to unlock it.
Rewards vary by partner — discounts, free items, member-only deals, or special online offers. Each partner sets the offer and the minimum tier required to unlock it. Higher tiers unlock more offers.

Absolutely. If there’s a local business you’d love to see in the Shift network, let us know at info@gogreenstreets.org. We’re always growing the network.

Shift Your Summer

Shift Your Summer is our flagship summer event — a sweepstakes where your active trips, Roam completions, referrals, and other actions earn you entries into prize draws from leading brands and local partners. It runs from mid-June through mid-August. Check the Community tab during the event for full details and a live look at available prizes.

Shift Your Summer is open to Massachusetts residents aged 18 and older. You must have a Shift account and opt in to the sweepstakes through the app. No purchase is necessary to enter. See the official rules for full details.

There are several ways to earn entries during the event:

  • Active trips— Each walk, bike, or transit trip earns 1 entry, up to 6 entries per day.
  • Roam completion— Completing a Roam earns 10 bonus entries.
  • Checkpoint visits— Each Roam checkpoint you visit earns 1 entry.
  • Collection completion— Finishing all Roams in a collection earns 50 bonus entries.
  • What Moves Us videos— Submitting a video to an eligible What Moves Us campaign earns 5 entries.
  • Referrals— Each friend who joins Shift using your referral link earns you entries — 2 for your first referral, 3 for the second, and 5 for each one after that, up to 10 friends.
  • Free mail-in entry (AMOE)— You can enter without using the app by mailing a handwritten request. See the official rules for details.
Trip entries are capped at 6 per day. Referral entries max out at 10 referred friends. All other entry types (Roams, checkpoints, collections, What Moves Us) have no daily cap — the more you do, the more entries you earn.
Winners are drawn after the event ends using a verifiable random selection from all eligible entries for each prize. More entries means better odds, but every eligible entrant has a chance. If you win, you’ll get an in-app notification with instructions to claim your prize.
You’ll receive an in-app notification and an email with claiming instructions. You have 7 days to claim your prize. If you don’t claim in time, we redraw to the next eligible person.

Full official rules, including legal terms, prize descriptions, and the free mail-in entry process, are available at gogreenstreets.org/events/shift-your-summer/rules.

For Rewards Partners

We’d love to have you. Visit gogreenstreets.org/shift/rewards-partners or email info@gogreenstreets.org. We’ll walk you through the setup — it’s simple and free to participate.

When a customer wants to use a Shift offer, they’ll show you their tier badge on the app screen. That’s your green light to apply the offer — no need to log into a dashboard at the time. When you join, we’ll provide a 1-page printed guide you can keep at the register.

Log in at gogreenstreets.org/shift/rewards-partners with the credentials you set up during onboarding. The dashboard shows your active offers, redemption history, and monthly summary reports.

Nothing. There are no fees to join the Shift Rewards Partner network. You set the reward you’re comfortable offering, and you benefit from exposure to an engaged community of sustainability-minded local customers.
Yes. You can update your offer, change the minimum tier required, or temporarily pause your listing from your business dashboard at any time.

For Schools

Shift for Schools is a classroom-based active transportation challenge. Each day, teachers take a quick tally using a simple show of hands to see how students got to school. Classrooms earn recognition for walking, biking, and taking transit — and can compete within and across schools. The program is designed to be fun, easy to run, and fully COPPA-compliant. No student accounts or personal data are collected.

Each participating classroom receives a unique 6-character code. The teacher uses this code to submit the classroom’s daily tally through the Shift for Schools portal. Codes are assigned during program setup and stay the same for the duration of the challenge.

Welcome! As School Coordinator, you’re the main point of contact between your school and Green Streets Initiative. Start by reviewing the program overview and School Coordinator Quick-Start Card we’ll share during onboarding. Your first steps are confirming participating classrooms, distributing classroom codes to teachers, and sharing the parent information sheet. Reach out to info@gogreenstreets.org any time.

Parents play a key role as Parent Volunteers and Walk & Bike Bus Leaders. A Walk & Bike Bus is a group of families who walk or bike a set route to school together. If you’re interested in starting or joining one, talk to your School Coordinator or email info@gogreenstreets.org.

Yes. Shift for Schools is designed with student privacy at its core. No individual student accounts are created. Data is collected at the classroom level only (e.g., "12 students walked today") — no names, locations, or personal information are ever involved. The program is fully COPPA-compliant.
The Shift app is designed for users 13 and older. The Shift for Schools classroom challenge is a separate, app-free experience — students participate through their teacher’s daily show-of-hands tally without needing any device or account.

Privacy & Data

Shift collects your email, display name, and trip data (start/end location area, distance, duration, mode). Location data is used to detect and log trips. We never sell your personal data. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

Location data is used solely to detect and record your trips. We use it to calculate distances, identify transportation modes, and place you on neighborhood leaderboards (if you’ve opted in). We do not share raw location data with third parties.

You can delete your account from the Settings screen in the app. This permanently removes your profile, trip history, and all associated data. If you have any trouble, email info@gogreenstreets.org and we’ll take care of it.

Account & Settings

Tap "Forgot Password" on the login screen and enter your email. You’ll receive a password reset link. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder.
Go to Settings > Profile in the app. You can update your display name and neighborhood at any time.

Open the Profile tab and scroll to the Account section. Tap Help & FAQ to come right back to this page, or Send feedback to email us with the basics about your phone and app version pre-filled. You can also email info@gogreenstreets.org directly.

Use the in-app Send feedback link (Profile → Account) — it pre-fills your phone model, OS version, and app build, which helps us reproduce the issue quickly. Or email info@gogreenstreets.org with a description and a screenshot if you have one. We’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

Still need help?

We’re a small team and we read every message. Reach out and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

General Support