MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Mountain Line Transit Authority will offer free rides to the polls for the primary-judicial election on Tuesday.
MLTA CEO Maria Smith said leadership of the organization thought this was an important move to encourage participation in the election. Reducing the fares to zero for election day takes one potential barrier to participation off the table.
“So the board of directors finds it to be extremely important to give people the opportunity to go vote,” Smith said. “We want to at least eliminate one of the barriers in getting them to the polling places.”
Rides to the polls will be completely free throughout the Morgantown area. Just go to the marked bus shelter along the route, board the bus, and take your ride.
“Normally the fares on our routes are 75 cents, so on election day when ridership is going to be free on local routes, you’ll just board the bus, take it to the polls, vote, and ride right back home,” Smith said.
The MLTA website is the place to go to plan your election ride. The website has a list of voting locations with links showing the schedule for each location.
“If you aren’t sure what bus routes service your particular polling place, we have a list of polling places and the routes that serve them,” Smith said. “That is available on our site at Busride.org/electiondayrides.”
Once your ride is planned, you also download the Bus Finder App that will keep you in the know about the status and location of your bus. The app will allow you to prepare for any delays or other changes in the schedule.
“That will show where your bus is and give you a feel for when it will arrive, and that is at Busride.org,” Smith said.
The primary purpose is to provide a means for people to get the polls to cast a ballot, but it’s also an opportunity to try the MLTA system. Smith and the board of directors hope some election day riders will experience the convenience and elect to use the service for personal trips in the future.
“This is to encourage people to get out there to the polls and vote,” Smith said. “And also maybe just to encourage you to give the Mountain Line Transit System a ride.”