GATEWAY providing free rides
By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on August 2, 2007 1:45 PM
With the North Carolina Sales Tax Holiday set for Saturday, the Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority has decided to get in on the act by offering free public transportation from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
"We're going to offering free rides all day Saturday, just as a public service and to demonstrate the importance of public transportation," GATEWAY Director Alan Stubbs said.
Calling it the First Ever Free Fare Alternative Transportation Day, the decision to offer the free rides was made by the GATEWAY Board of Directors at Tuesday's meeting.
It applies only to Goldsboro city buses.
Those routes -- the Berkeley Route, the Wayne Memorial Route, the Slocumb Route and the North End Route -- all take riders past the city's largest shopping areas, though.
Stubbs said he's hoping the promotion will increase ridership, if only for one day.
"I think this will be something very good for us and get some people riding who nomally don't," he said. "This day with no fares will provide a convenient and free option for many residents to ride GATEWAY transit buses and experience what their public transportation authority has to offer.
"We're looking to have a bunch of people and if need be, we'll put out some extra vehicles. This is a great time to ride free and pay no sales tax on your back-to-school purchases."