San Luis Obispo County’s “No Fare Anywhere” campaign is offering free public transit through Friday to promote alternative transportation options.
This yearly effort is through the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG), collaborating with the City of SLO Transit, City of Morro Bay and SLO Regional Transit Authority (RTA).
“This is the first time we’ve worked together with the RTA, along with the city of San Luis Obispo and the city of Morro Bay to offer free transit throughout the county,” Annie Bowsky, communications coordinator for SLOCOG, said.
The event also overlaps with International Walk to School Day on Oct. 9. Those participating will receive snacks and stickers from Rideshare Safe Routes to School program leaders, who are coordinating the event.
“We hope to add more schools every year, and have around 35 participating throughout the county this year,” Bowsky said.
The number of students who walk to school has decreased in the past 20-30 years, Bowsky said. The Walk to School Day effort aims to get parents and kids back in the habit of walking or biking to school.
“We’re really excited about it,” Bowsky said. “It’s super fun to see the kids walking [or] riding to school and getting a little exercise before they get to class.”
The campaign’s goal is to encourage public transportation to reduce the number of individuals driving alone to destinations. More than 75% of commuters choose to drive alone, according to Rideshare’s website. The website stated that this leads to road congestion, air pollution, and effects on personal health and well-being.
Many Cal Poly students ride buses to campus; the service is free with a student ID. Graphic communications senior Jackie Bostock said she takes the bus to campus because she could not get a parking pass this year.
“I don’t have to look for parking, because that’s kind of a hassle, but otherwise I wish I could drive,” Bostock said.
The bus stop is across the street from her house which is convenient, she said.
Computer engineering senior Thomas Choboter takes the bus on and off since he moved off campus last year. The bus stop is near where he lives and the bus schedule works well with his class schedule, he said.
“I can wake up 10 minutes before I have to leave the house and then I drink coffee or sleep on the bus,” Choboter said.
However, the 10-minute window is a toss-up. The bus is often late, making it challenging for Choboter to arrive to classes farther from the Kennedy Library bus stop.
Since his commute takes about 30 minutes, he usually does not experience the bus being too full in the mornings when he leaves, he said.
Throughout the week, commuters can track and log their Rideshare Week alternative commutes for the chance to win prizes including a daily prize drawing for $200.
Commuters can log their progress on iRideshare.org during the week as well as year-round.
Correction: this article has been updated at 6:25 p.m to correct a misspelled word.
