By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph residents will have the opportunity to experience the bus for free on Thursday.
St. Joseph Transit general manager Michelle Schultz says it's part of a nationwide campaign 'Dump the Pump'
"It's to encourage everyone to ride the bus, to give them the opportunity to see what the bus has to offer and see if it's something that might fit into their schedule," Schultz tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Dump the Pump basically means you're not putting gas into your car that day, you're going to ride the bus and let us worry about it."
Schultz says the free bus rides were very popular pre-COVID.
"We would almost double our ridership," Schultz explains. "Since COVID it's not been as extreme, we have seen an increase in ridership during those days, but again it's not as much as it used to be."
Schultz says there are a couple different ways to get your free bus ride
"You can go to any bus stop in town, we have over 300 of them throughout the city, and catch a bus there," Schultz says. "Or we also offer deviations which is where someone can call in and schedule a trip and we will actually pick them up at their home or whatever location they choose instead of walking to a bus stop, there is an extra 25 cent charge for that."
Most will recognize the campaign over the weekend, but the St. Joseph bus system is choosing to do it Thursday, because of an influx of riders during weekdays.