SRTA bus service gets grant to provide free rides over holiday season

SRTA urges everyone to avoid high gas prices, leave their car at home, and hop on a bus this holiday season – their bus service is free for over a month.

Thanks to a grant included in the state budget and provided by MassDOT, all SRTA bus and paratransit services will be free for everyone from November 25 through December 31 as part of its “Try Transit” program.

The program is designed to entice new customers who normally drive to try commuting, shopping, running errands and getting around town by bus – and to give a financial break to people who are already dependent on transport in common.

“Breaking down barriers has helped grow service in the past and this holiday season will hopefully help ease the burden on residents of our communities,” SRTA Administrator Erik Rousseau said in a statement. A press release. “This is a great opportunity for those new to public transit to try us out.”

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In the Grand Fall River, regular routes extend as far north as the Amazon fulfillment center and the Stop & Shop fulfillment center in Freetown in the north, to South Coast Marketplace in the South End. The No. 14 bus takes passengers as far west as the Swansea Walmart, with stops at Stop & Shop and Target Square on the way. The intercity route travels between Fall River and New Bedford, stopping at Dartmouth Mall and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

SRTA bus lines also serve places like Saint Anne’s and Charlton Memorial Hospitals, Fall River Mall, Seabra, Price-Rite, Shaw’s, Walmart on Quequechan Street, Gold Medal Bakery, Catholic Memorial Home, and Bristol Community College.

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In Greater New Bedford, routes extend as far north as Vibra Hospital and New Bedford Business Park, Southworth Library in Dartmouth and SMAST in New Bedford to the south. The #11 bus goes east to Fairhaven, stopping at the Malls and Southcoast Health, and west to UMass Dartmouth, Hawthorn Medical Associates in Dartmouth, the Dartmouth Mall, and to at Fall River.

In New Bedford, SRTA buses serve Trucchi’s, Market Basket, Price-Rite, Fieldstone Marketplace, and St. Luke’s Hospital.

Full route maps and timetables are available at SRTabus.com. The free SRTA Bustracker app is also available for iPhone and Android OS, which features real-time tracking and nearby route and stop information.

Normally, SRTA bus fares are $1.50 full fare for one ride or $3 for a daily pass.

For more information, call SRTA at 508-999-5211 or email [email protected].