About Walktober
Walktober is a fun team Step Challenge which is taking place from 1 October to 31 October this year. It is open to staff and students of workplaces and third level campuses that are partners of the Smarter Travel programme.
Check below to see if your workplace/campus has participating in the past challenge. Once your organisation has registered to participate, staff and students can then get together to form teams of 3-6 people.
A Team Name is chosen and a Team Captain is nominated. Each participant needs to have a working email address and have a registered and verified Active Travel Logger account. The Team Captain will be the main point of contact for a team and will set up the team on the Active Travel Logger website.
For more information on how to get started, creating a team, logging your steps and more, refer to the Resources and Frequently Asked Questions sections by clicking the relevant header at the top of this page.
The deadline to log your steps each week to place on the Weekly Leaderboard is 2pm every Monday. Participants can backlog their steps for a maximum of eight days during the Challenge.
My takeaway from this challenge is I can find time to walk more/do light physical activities during my day and it helps to clear my mind.
Walktober Step Challenge Participant, 2024
The organisation’s Internal Coordinator and the National Coordinators keep in touch with participants to let them know about competitions, prizes, Leaderboards and such once the Challenge is live.
During the Step Challenges participants can follow us on social media for regular updates and tips on the Challenge, and of course to see who’s in the lead!
| TFI Smarter Travel Social Media | 
| Instagram: @tfismartertravel | 
| X: @TFISmartTravel | 
Resources
The following is a sample of the resources which are available to partners to help plan and promote Walktober. These resources can be used on a variety of communication platforms such as intranet, emails, social media, newsletters and to display as posters.
Using the Active Travel Logger
There are a number of Active Travel Logger video tutorials below. Click on the relevant link to view the video tutorial.
Video Tutorials for Participants
How to log your steps using the Active Travel Logger
Video Tutorials for Team Captains:
How to invite team members using the Active Travel Logger
How to log steps on behalf of your Team Members
Video tutorials for Organisation Coordinators:
How to view teams from your organisation taking part in a challenge
How to edit team names, delete teams, and invite new team members
Participating organisations
118 organisations participated in Walktober 2024. For list of participating organisations in Walktober 2025, see below. If your organisation is a partner of the Smarter Travel Programme and is not listed below, please ask your Smarter Travel Coordinator to email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie.
		   There are a number of bus operators within the TFI public transport network. For more information on travelling by Bus visit Transport for Ireland – Getting Around by Bus. There are both intercity services throughout the TFI public transport network, as well as DART and Commuter Services. For more information on travelling by train, please visit Transport for Ireland – Travelling by Train. Many train stations have cycle parking facilities available to commuters so you can cycle to and from the train station. To help plan your rail journey with your bicycle, from information on bicycle parking, on-rail facilities, and bicycle bookings, visit Irish Rail’s comprehensive Bicycle Information for Rail Travel. Luas is Dublin City’s tram service and operates both a Red Line and Green Line service. Luas is a sustainable, fast, and convenient way to travel around Dublin City and its suburbs. There are car parking facilities available at several stations so you can avail of the Luas ‘Park + Ride’ services. For more information on travelling by tram, please visit Transport for Ireland – Getting Around by Tram. Integrating the use of a bicycle and travelling by tram can be a convenient, fast, and sustainable way to travel around Dublin. For more information on the Luas and cycling, visit Luas – Bike Parking.
						
					
				
 
AECOM 
Eirgrid 
National Orthopedic Hospital Cappagh 
 
AIB 
Element Fleet Leasing Limited 
National Rehabilitation Hospital 
 
Analog Devices 
Eli Lilly – Limerick 
National Transport Authority 
 
An Coimisiún Pleanála 
embecta 
National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) 
 
Arup 
ESB 
Offaly County Council 
 
Atlantic Aviation 
Expleo Technology Ireland Ltd. 
Office of the Attorney General 
 
Beaumont Hospital 
EY 
Office of the Planning Regulator 
 
Biomarin 
Fingal County Council 
Office of Public Works 
 
Blackrock Health Clinic, Blackrock 
Foras na Gaeilge 
Our Lady’s Hospice 
 
Blackrock Health Clinic, Galway 
Freudenberg Medical 
Our Lady’s Hospital Navan 
 
Brady Shipman Martin 
Galway University Hospital 
Portiuncula University Hospital 
 
Business In The Community (BITC) Ireland 
Grant Thornton 
Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council 
 
Cavan County Council 
Greyhound Racing Ireland 
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) 
 
Central Bank of Ireland 
Health Products Regulatory Authority 
Rabobank Dublin 
 
Children’s Health Ireland 
HEAnet CLG 
RDJ 
 
CIE 
Houses of the Oireachtas 
Roughan and O’Donovan 
 
Clare County Council 
HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare 
Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital 
 
Clifton Scannell Emerson Associates 
IBM Ireland Software 
Sligo University Hospital 
 
Clúid Housing 
IDA Ireland 
South Dublin County Council 
 
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission 
Inland Fisheries Ireland 
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital 
 
Cork City Council 
Irish Blood Transfusion Service 
Sport Ireland Campus 
 
Cork University Hospital 
Irish Rail 
SSE Airtricity 
 
Cork University Maternity Hospital 
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty against Children (ISPCC) 
St. James’ Hospital 
 
DBFL Consulting 
J&J Innovative Medicine 
St. Vincent’s University Hospital 
 
Deloitte 
J&J MedTech (DePuy Synthes) 
SYSTRA 
 
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 
Jacobs 
Tallaght University Hospital 
 
Department of Children, Disability and Equality 
Kildare County Council 
TE Connectivity 
 
Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment 
Kilkenny County Council 
The Probation Service 
 
Department of Culture, Communications and Sport 
Leopardstown Park Hospital 
Toast 
 
Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment 
Lilly GBS 
Transdev Luas 
 
Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage 
Linesight 
Transport Infrastructure Ireland 
 
Department of Justice 
Louth County Council 
Tritech Group 
 
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation 
Mayo University Hospital 
Tuath Housing 
 
Department of Social Protection 
Meath County Council 
University Hospital Waterford 
 
Department of Transport 
Met Éireann 
Verizon Ireland 
 
Dublin City Council 
Monaghan County Council 
Waterford City & County Council 
 
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council 
Naas General Hospital 
Westmeath Council Council 
 
eBay Ireland 
National Council for Special Education 
Wexford County Council 
 
Edwards Lifesciences 
National Maternity Hospital 
 
						
					
				
 
ATU Galway-Mayo 
Marino Institute of Education 
Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) 
 
ATU Sligo 
Mary Immaculate College 
TU Dublin 
 
Dublin Business School 
Maynooth University 
University College Cork 
 
Dublin City University 
Munster Technological University Cork 
University of Limerick 
 
Dundalk Institute of Technology 
South East Technological University (SETU) 
 
 
Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT) 
Trinity College Dublin 
 
						
					
				 Travelling by Bus
Travelling by Bus Travelling by Rail
Travelling by Rail Travelling by Tram
Travelling by Tram
Frequently Asked Questions
Step Challenge – Marchathon & Walktober are fun & free annual step challenges to help build team spirit and encourage your colleagues to stick on their shoes and get walking. They are great way to encourage a regular walking routine while encouraging long-term physical activity and modal shift.
Walktober begins on Wednesday 1st October and finishes at midnight on Friday 31st October 2025. Team members or captains must enter their steps for the previous week by 2pm each Monday except the bank holiday weekend. Team members or captains have until 2pm on Monday 3rd November to submit their steps for the final week of the challenge online.
To take part, you will need to:
- Get into a team with staff and students in your workplace/campus (3-6 people per team including the captain!)
- Sign up online now at www.activetravellogger.ie
- Get a step counter (i.e. download an app, use a pedometer or other step tracking device)
- During the Challenge: log steps online at www.activetravellogger.ie
It is a team event and 3-6 team members (including the captain) are required to participate in the challenge. The promotional team in your workplace or campus might be able to help you to find a team.
For contact details email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie
It is a team event and 3-6 team members (including the captain) are required to participate in the challenge. The promotional team in your workplace or campus might be able to help you to find a team.
For contact details email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie
The team at the top of the average steps Leaderboards at the end of the challenge will win the top challenge prizes.
There will be lots of opportunities for teams to win prizes throughout the challenge, including photo competitions, limerick competitions, quiz competition and many more.
Prizes and spot prizes will be chosen randomly by the organizers. In the event of any dispute regarding the rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to Step Challenge, the decision of the organiser shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.
You must log your steps on the Active Travel Logger before the weekly deadline. Check out our How to Log My Steps video tutorial.
There are two Leaderboards for the Step Challenge.
All Leaderboards show team averages so that teams of 3 members can compete with teams of 4, 5 or 6 members. Any team on any Leaderboard is open to Quality Assurance by our Coordinators, to ensure that activity logged is accurate and true. Any participant can be asked to detail how they achieved step counts logged. This detail may be published (but can be done anonymously if you don’t wish for your name to be shown).
If we have a query about activity logged and you or your team don’t respond to us in time for publication of a particular Leaderboard, your team rank will be shown as ‘TBC’ until the query is resolved. Our two Leaderboards are:
- The Overall Leaderboard, showing all teams
- The Desk Leaderboard, showing teams which are primarily desk-based during the course of the workday.
The Final Leaderboard will be published after the Challenge ends and Quality Assurance has been done on all of the top teams.
Yes, if you have access to smartphone, tablet or PC, you can participate.
All participants must log activity online on the Active Travel Logger website, so once one member of your team can log activity once a week over the course of the Challenge, you are welcome to participate.
If you do not have access to a device to access the Active Travel Logger website, unfortunately you can’t take part.
We would love to offer everyone the chance to participate, however our remit is to work with employers who have signed up to implement travel plans as part of the TFI Smarter Travel programme. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Partner, get in touch, email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie
If you forget to wear your step counter on a particular day, you can use the step count from another day where you had similar physical activity levels.
This applies to both the app and other step counters.
Any participant can log and edit their own steps on the Active Travel Logger.
Register for your workplace group on the site, and find your team name – your Team Captain’s name will be displayed to help you find them e.g. Happy Feet (Tom Smith).
Once you’ve ‘joined’ your team online, you can log and edit your step totals throughout the Challenge. Please note you have a maximum of 8 days to backlog – less for the final leaderboard, but we will be in touch with all teams to flag this with you.
If you do not set up your own account on the Active Travel Logger, your Team Captain can log/ edit on your behalf. Be sure to give your step totals to them in time for the leaderboards!
Yes they do. You can continue to log your activity manually on the Active Travel Logger website, or you can get your Team Captain to log on your behalf.
Only activities which can be recorded by your step counter are included.
So aerobics, running and gardening are fine – but cycling, swimming or other activities where you do not wear a step counter are not included.
No – walking anywhere, anytime will count. Walking to, or part of the way to work is a great way to increase your steps, to feel good and to reduce your personal and environmental travel costs.
Yes you can certainly take part. You can buy a bicycle odometer from your local bicycle store. The bicycle shop should be able to fit this for you and they will take into account the wheel diameter so that it’s as accurate as possible.
You will use this odometer to keep a record of your distance travelled daily. The distance can then be converted to steps by using the following equation: 1km = 1250 steps. Using this conversion you will be able to log your daily steps on the Active Travel Logger. Your Team Captain can also log on your behalf.
Source of conversion information: 10,000 Steps.
This is a question Team Captains are asked on registration. Team captains should answer ‘yes’ if most members of your team are based at a desk during working hours.
Currently there is no app connected to the Active Travel Logger. If you have a fitness tracker or an app on your smart phone, you’re welcome to use these to track your steps. However you will still have to log into your account on the Active Travel Logger to update your steps on a regular basis. There is a back log window of 8 days. Your Team Captain can also log on your behalf.
Whatever way you track your steps – you must use the same counter for the entire challenge.
Please contact stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie with the details of your team name and changes. If a new member is being substituted or is dropping out, please let us know as soon as possible.
If you miss the deadline your steps will not appear until the subsequent Leaderboard. However, please note that you will only be able to backlog steps for up to 8 days throughout the challenge. The cut off for entering steps for the previous week up to and including Sunday is 2pm the following Monday. As there is a bank holiday on Monday the 28th of October participants will have an extra day to log their steps by 2pm on Tuesday the 29th of October for the previous week. The cut off for entering the steps for the final week of the challenge will be 2pm on Monday 4th November 2024.
If you enter the wrong number of steps you should log back into your Active Travel Logger account as soon as possible and resubmit your steps for the date in question. If you are unable to do so please email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie
If your technical difficulty is related to your internet connection on campus/workplace, then you will need to contact the IT Department in your organisation/campus
Alternatively contact stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie with the details of your issue and any errors messages you see.
If you have any questions that are not answered on this page, please contact us, email stepchallenge@nationaltransport.ie
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Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions. The National Transport Authority reserves the right to make changes to this site and these terms and conditions at any time.
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This website contains links to other websites operated by third parties over whom we have no control. Such links are provided for your convenience only and the National Transport Authority accepts no responsibility or liability in respect of the content or use of other websites.
Details of prizes for TFI Smarter Travel Challenges will be announced on the relevant prizes pages.
Prize winners names/ organisation will be published on our website, reports, social media and other events/ publications associated with the TFI Smarter Travel programmes and the National Transport Authority.
Winners may also be asked to participate in a publicity shoot. By participating in any photo shoots associated with Authority challenges or events, you consent to the use/ publication by the Authority of these images.
To be eligible for Prizes, winners must be resident in the Republic of Ireland, and be employees of an active TFI Smarter Travel Workplaces Partner organisation.
In the event of any dispute regarding the rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to TFI Smarter Travel Competitions or Challenges, the decision of the organiser shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.
The Authority reserves the right to award all, some or none of the prizes associated with any event or challenge.
