Code Red on Friday 7/18/08, so free rides in MD & VA!
Tomorrow would have been my fanning day (if only I had a little more bank in the bank). Yeah. It's gonna be a scorcher.
Free rides are always good, but one time I decided to brave the heat and do some after-work busfanning on a code red day. Lets just say I never did that again.
So I take it I shouldn't count on any of you guys to come ride around with me in Vegas when it's 115 out? It hasn't been that bad to do it, but I don't stay outside for extended periods of time. You can cool off pretty quickly here because there isn't much humidity.
Perry,
Since you're our buddy we'd have to make an exception.:-). The one time I visited Las Vegas (Jun '99) I was amazed the the heat. It wasn't too bad in the shade, but I tried my best to stay out of the sun. On this trip I had a connecting flight in Phoenix. I decided to walk outside (pre-9/11 security days) just to feel the extreme dry heat that I always heard about. Well... I stayed outside for about 1 minute, then ran back inside.
Thanks Wayne!! Although if you really want to maximize your time out here come in the spring or fall, not July or August.
You guys have had quite a few code red days already. Hopefully everyone got the message and aren't charging fares. A couple of times at PRTC we didn't find out about the Code Reds on Saturday until it was too late and ended up charging. Oops.. COG screws up quite a bit with that stuff.
How bad does it have to be to ride DC buses for free?
I asking cuz everytime there's a code red, it's free for MD and VA but not DC.
Quote from: George on July 29, 2008, 12:08:00 AM
How bad does it have to be to ride DC buses for free?
I asking cuz everytime there's a code red, it's free for MD and VA but not DC.
A broken farebox or a rail shuttle.
Quote from: George on July 29, 2008, 12:08:00 AM
How bad does it have to be to ride DC buses for free?
I asking cuz everytime there's a code red, it's free for MD and VA but not DC.
DC just doesn't participate in the program.
I wonder why they don't participate in the program.
Maybe because the inner city can't stand an increase of ridership?
Quote from: Tristan on July 29, 2008, 12:09:05 PM
Maybe because the inner city can't stand an increase of ridership?
Oh. I get what you mean :)
I dunno actually -- it was just a guess <g>
Quote from: Tristan on July 29, 2008, 04:52:55 PM
I dunno actually -- it was just a guess <g>
You know what I mean ;)
No I don't actually ???
Quote from: Tristan on July 29, 2008, 12:09:05 PM
Maybe because the inner city can't stand an increase of ridership?
They don't have the funds to reimburse WMATA and MWCOG for the free rides, and therefore do not participate. Even on Code Red Days, the operators press a button on the farebox to count rides, and that determines how much gets paid. It is a problem that DC can't be involved, since those areas suffer from ozone pollution the most and would benefit from free rides.
That's true -- to cover every rider in DC would be an immense cost. Someone do the calculations based on the NORMAL ridership per day and THEN add about 7%...that's about how much DASH ridership increases on free ride days, although we have more discretionary riders than DC does.
I think if they gave free Metrorail rides that would really get a lot more people out of their cars on these days, but I imagine that cost would be out of this world too as Metrorail fares are pretty expensive. It's great that free bus rides are offered on code red days in the 'burbs although I still feel DC area bus fares are a nice bargain.