The four transit providers in Stanislaus County, including Ceres Area Transit (CAT), Modesto Area Express (MAX), Stanislaus County Regional Transit (StaRT), and Turlock Transit have announced that all rides on fixed route buses will be free for passengers during Go Green Week. The week will be observed from March 15 through 21 and the program is part of a joint, free ride promotion. This includes MAX to BART Commuter Express, MAX to ACE Commuter Express, and StaRT’s BART Commuter bus services, but excludes ADA Paratransit, Medivan, and Dial-a-Ride services.
Funding for the joint, free ride promotion is made possible through a grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) under the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP).
“We are thrilled to offer free rides during Go Green week in March,” said Adam Barth, Modesto Area Express Transit Manager. “Public transportation is an effective way to mitigating traffic congestion, improving air quality and getting around Modesto.”
The goal of the free ride promotion is to reduce the use of single occupant vehicles in an effort to reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and countless hours wasted on freeways. In addition to this free ride promotion, regional transit operators plan to coordinate additional free ride promotional opportunities through June 2020 under the same LCTOP grant program. These promotional periods include Bike to Work Week (May 2020) and Dump the Pump Day (June 2020).
“We’re excited to coordinate our efforts with our regional partners to make it easier than ever for all County residents to experience the benefits of transit, particularly for those residents that have never stepped foot on a bus before,” said Wayne York, Transit Manager for Turlock Transit. “We look forward to showing the public how using public transit can be a positive, cost-effective transportation alternative to single-occupant motor vehicles.”
Residents are encouraged to make the most of this free ride promotion by planning their trips in advance. Trip planning tools are available on the websites of the transit operators, as well as through smartphone apps such as Google Maps or the Transit app. These tools make it easy to determine the closest bus stop, the correct route, and in some cases real-time bus arrival information.
All public transit buses in the county are accessible to individuals with disabilities as required by the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA).
For more information on CAT and its services, visit https://www.ci.ceres.ca.us/220/Ceres-Area-Transit-CAT or call (209) 527-4991. For more information on MAX and its services, visit www.modestoareaexpress.com or call (209) 521-1274. For more information on StaRT and its services, visit www.srt.org or call 1-800-262-1516. For more information on Turlock Transit and its services, visit www.turlocktransit.com or call (209) 668-5600.
