June is Ride Transit Month— a celebration of transit riders in Washington State.

To help celebrate, Go Redmond will be providing free ORCA bus passes and guidance to help new riders try transit in June.

Transit ridership has increased by 80 percent between 2007 and 2016 in Redmond, with more than 11,000 riders a day but there is room for more growth.

“Redmond has great access to regional bus service and we want to help more people become aware of the transit options. Bus service is excellent for commuting to work, local events and many other activities,” said Caroline Chapman, the Go Redmond Program administrator.

A full bus can fit 60 people who may normally be driving alone, freeing up an estimated seven lanes of traffic during peak hours. In addition to making a positive impact on traffic, transit riders are also helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which improves our air quality.

Go Redmond is available to provide transportation assistance to people living and working in Redmond. New transit riders can receive a free one-month ORCA bus pass and help planning bus routes or answering questions on how to ride transit. Go Redmond also provides resources to local businesses to help their employees ride transit and ease traffic congestion. More information on Ride Transit Month can be found at www.goredmond.com/transit.

For questions and more information on this press release contact Lisa Maher, Communications and Marketing manager at atlmaher@redmond.gov or 425-556-2427.