Getting ready to commute again? In May, you can get where you’re going for free

Work, stores, downtown — wherever you’re going in May, Valley Regional Transit wants to help you get there. For free.

In observance of the Ada County Highway District’s “May in Motion,” ValleyRide is offering free bus rises on the 18 fixed bus routes in Boise, the VRT OnDemand Service in Nampa and Caldwell, and the four inter-county bus routes between Ada and Canyon counties.

“After a year of many people working from home, Valley Regional Transit wanted to incentivize people to reconsider their commutes with no-cost bus rides,” ValleyRide announced in a news release.

The agency offered free bus rides for several months in 2020 as part of its effort to limit contact between drivers and patrons but started collecting fares again in November.

The effort is also to remind people that public transit is safe. ValleyRide has many safety precautions in place, including sanitization procedures and a requirement that drivers and passengers alike wear masks.

VRT will stop selling 31-day day bus passes on April 19, the agency said in the news release, as at that point it would be more cost-effective for riders to instead by single-ride and day passes. Access paratransit service and other shared mobility services will still have fares.

For more information on the free bus rides, visit valleyregionaltransit.org or call the VRT help desk at 208-345-7433.