Try Transit Week features free rides on Sept. 23

September is a great time to give public transportation a try throughout Virginia, with special giveaways and free rides available during Try Transit Week, September 21-25. The week-long, educational event is designed to encourage Virginians to reduce their use of single-occupancy vehicles and try a form of public transportation such as vanpool, bus, rail, or ferry.

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) is responsible for planning and oversight of public transit in the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, and portions of Augusta County, and to celebrate Try Transit Week, the following transit services will provide free rides all day on Wednesday, September 23^rd.

• Staunton Trolley system provides service in historic downtown Staunton and throughout the City
• 250 Connector buses that travel between Waynesboro and Staunton and provide vital access to Augusta Health
• Waynesboro Circulator bus that connects residential areas of Waynesboro to retail, employment sites and community amenities
• BRCC Shuttle that provides transit connections in the Route 11 corridor between Staunton and Harrisonburg and transports students to the Blue Ridge Community College campus in Weyers Cave
• 340 County Connector covering the corridor between Stuarts Draft and Weyers Cave, including a stop in Grottoes

All Virginians can go to trytransitweek.org and pledge to try a form of public transportation to be automatically entered for a chance to win a pair of round-trip tickets aboard Amtrak’s Northeast Regional train.* Pledges will be accepted through September 25, 2015.

The CSPDC is joining with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and other public transit operations across the Commonwealth to spread the word about the accessibility of transit and the benefits of using it. Passengers who use public transportation not only save time and money, but they can work, read, listen to music and text while traveling, arriving at their destinations stress- and hassle-free.

For more information about the Try Transit Week promotion, contact Nancy Gourley, [email protected] (540) 885-5174.