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RIVERSIDE, CA — (June 12, 2008) — Beginning this week, thousands of Banning and Beaumont residents will find it easier to escape skyrocketing gas prices.
That’s because the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) and Metrolink have partnered to offer free rides good on RTA buses and Metrolink trains. To qualify for the free rides, Banning and Beaumont residents simply need to check their utility bills for inserts promoting the deal. The inserts will direct them to a dedicated website where they can sign up to receive their free 4-Trip ticket good on any Metrolink train.
The ticket is also good on any RTA route that travels to a Metrolink station, including CommuterLink Route 210, an express route that links the Banning and Beaumont area with Moreno Valley and downtown Riverside’s Metrolink station.
“During a period of record-high gas prices, more people are discovering the benefits of riding the bus or train,” said RTA Chairman Karen Spiegel. “Using these free trips is a great way to relieve the pain at the pump.”
As gas prices near the $5 a gallon mark, there’s no doubt that the pain at the pump is motivating people to change their travel behavior. When comparing April’07 to April ’08, RTA’s CommuterLink and Dial-A-Ride ridership has climbed roughly 40 percent and 33 percent, respectively. As a whole, the Agency’s ridership has climbed 13 percent.
Ridership gains aren’t limited to Riverside County either. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has announced that Americans took 2.6 billion trips on public transportation in the fi rst three months of 2008. This is almost 85 million more trips than last year for the same time period.
The 4-Trip Metrolink pass is good for travel anywhere Metrolink goes — from Riverside to downtown Los Angeles, from Corona to San Juan Capistrano, from San Bernardino to San Clemente or any of the 53 Metrolink stations throughout Southern California. The offer expires July 31 and ticket delivery may take up to four weeks.
The Riverside Transit Agency provides public transportation for Western Riverside County, operating 39 fi xed routes, 7 commuter routes and 15 demand response services. RTA’s service area spans 2,500 square miles, the second-largest in the nation. For bus route and schedule information contact RTA at (800) 8007821 or log on to our Web site at www.RiversideTransit.com. |
