Snoqualmie Valley Transportation
PO Box 806
1308 Boalch Ave NW
North Bend, WA 98045
June 10, 2021
Summer Freedom Rides Again!
Valley students take free rides with SVT’s Summer Freedom program, ending Aug. 31
Since starting its free rides program in June of 2018, Snoqualmie Valley Transportation has completed thousands of free trips for local youth; that’s a lot of trips to trails, the lake, to skate parks and to other neighborhoods that parents didn’t have to make, and that the SVT buses were going by every day, from Wilderness Rim and Rattlesnake Lake to Monroe and most of the place in between, Monday through Friday.
Freeing up parents’ time and increasing bus ridership, as well as exposing more young people to public transportation, were the goals successfully accomplished in SVT’s first “Summer Freedom” campaign. Student ridership in July often doubles when students start spreading the word to their friends through social media.
“So far the mostly local youth riders have been making good use of the program,” said SVT Director Amy Biggs. “The drivers are telling us that they all know about it and it’s making it really easy for them to get around.”
Most of the students riding were from the upper Valley, although a lot of Duvall youth used the bus to get to Monroe’s movie theater, too, staff said.
Summer Freedom was launched as a pilot program and has now become an annual event.
“We’ve been very happy to find such a strong response to the program and to meet the needs of so many kids, teens and parents this summer,” said Biggs.
Summer Freedom ends Aug. 31, but youth can continue to ride the bus, like any other passenger. When the Summer Freedom program ends, fares are $1 for all routes except the Valley Shuttle and the Duvall-Monroe Shuttle, which has a fare of a $1 suggested donation.
And just a reminder that, until the FTA tells us otherwise, everyone still needs to mask-up on buses. If you lose your mask or just need one, the driver can supply you with a mask.
Learn more about SVT by calling 425-888-7001, or go online to www.svtbus.org.
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About Snoqualmie Valley Transportation: Snoqualmie Valley Transportation (SVT) is a project of Mt. Si Senior Center. SVT began its services in 2003 with funding assistance from Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, King County Metro Transit, and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Learn more about the bus services and find maps and schedules at www.svtbus.org, or call 425-888-7001.