Greenville B-Cycle And Greenlink To Offer Fare-Free October
October 1, 2014
Greenville B-cycle and Greenlink Partner to Encourage Use of Buses and Bikes for Everyday Transportation
GREENVILLE, SC – Greenville B-cycle and Greenlink are teaming up to offer “Fare-Free October” – an initiative aimed at offering residents, students, and downtown employees a cost-effective option to travel around the City, run errands, or commute by means other than a personal vehicle. All month long, Greenville B-cycle annual members will be able to show their Greenville B-cycle card to Greenlink bus drivers in exchange for free rides on Greenlink buses.
The program is designed to offer B-cycle members extra incentive to give Greenlink buses a try and avid bus riders a reason to give Greenville B-cycles a spin. “Our hope is that people will realize just how easy it is to use public bus service in tandem with active transportation to meet their daily transportation needs,” says Lisa Hallo, Greenville B-cycle Program Director. “For instance, students traveling downtown from Clemson University or CU-ICAR may be hesitant to use public transportation if they don’t have good travel options once they reach downtown. Greenville B-cycle expands those options.”
The program was first offered last year, and, according to Greenlink Manager of Administration Greg Baney, was very successful with more than 300 free trips being offered to card-carrying B-cycle members. One goal of the program is to offer participants a way to address what is often referred to as the “last mile issue” in public transportation. The issue, explains Baney, is that a bus stop and someone’s final destination could be as far as a mile away from each other; thus many bus riders must rely on walking or biking to reach their final destinations.
Greenville B-cycle, a partnership of Upstate Forever and Greenville Health System, has eight stations located at the Transit Center, County Square, City Hall, Greenville Zoo, Hughes Main Library, the Sterling Community Center and the corners of Rhett and River and College and North Main.
Greenville B-cycle annual memberships can be purchased at GreenvilleBcycle.com for just $60. City of Greenville and Greenville County employees are eligible for $45 annual passes, and college students and faculty can obtain annual passes for just $30. Discount rates are also available for low-income members.
About Upstate Forever
Upstate Forever is a nonprofit, membership-based organization promoting sensible growth and the protection of special places in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Its three program areas are Land Trust, Sustainable Communities, and Clean Air and Water. Founded in 1998, Upstate Forever has nearly 2,000 members, two offices, and a staff of 19. For more information, visit www.upstateforever.org.
About Greenlink
Greenlink is committed to providing safe, timely, convenient and environmentally friendly multi-modal transportation to the Greenville community. Greenlink offers 14 fixed routes to destinations all across Greenville and Pickens County. All Greenlink buses are wheelchair accessible, and each Greenlink bus is equipped with free Wi-Fi and a bike rack to make commuting easier for bike riders. The Greenlink system also features GAP, an ADA paratransit service provided for individuals who, because of their disability, are unable to use Greenlink’s fixed route bus service.
About Greenville Health System
Greenville Health System (GHS) is committed to medical excellence through research, education and high-quality patient care. GHS offers patients a sophisticated network of expertise and technologies through its five medical campuses, tertiary medical center, research and education facilities, community hospitals, physician practices and numerous specialty facilities in upstate South Carolina. The 1,268-bed system is home to 14 medical residency and fellowship programs and the state’s largest number of active clinical trials – 600+. For the fourth consecutive year, its flagship Greenville Memorial Hospital wasranked among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in a specialty area in U.S. News’ America’s Best Hospitals. In July 2012, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville opened a four-year medical school at GHS. For more information, visit ghs.org.
