Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced the revived fare-free Bee-Line bus program that took place in November and December resulted in significant increases in ridership.
The program ran from Nov. 19 through Nov. 27, and again on Dec. 7 through Dec. 26. When the program concluded, more than 1.7 million passengers rode the fixed route bus system, generating a 10% increase in ridership on weekdays and Saturdays compared to average fall 2020 ridership. Latimer also pointed out that weekdays and Saturday ridership during the fare-free period reached 95% of pre-pandemic ridership, while on Sundays the levels were closer to 90%.
The free fares were also valid on Bee-Line”™s ParaTransit system, a shared ride service for which reservations must be made in advance. Throughout the fare-free period, over 19,000 ParaTransit reservations were made.
The county government first offered a free rides program last summer, which resulted in a 37% increase in ridership during the three-month period of June, July and August, compared to the prior three-month period in March, April and May.
“My administration is constantly looking for ways to save Westchester residents money ”“ and when it came to fare-free buses ”“ Westchester residents certainly took advantage,” Latimer said. “By both saving some extra cash around the holiday season and taking the environmentally friendly mass transit option to get where they needed to go, our state-of-the-art Bee-line bus system showed just how valuable it is for those who live, work or visit Westchester.”
Photo by Adam E. Moreira / Wikimedia Commons.
