RIDE Solutions has kicked off its Drive Small campaign this holiday season. The Drive Small campaign is an effort to encourage holiday shoppers, commuters, and those traveling for any other purpose – such as meeting friends or family for dinner – to try alternative means of traveling, rather than driving alone. And remember, your holiday shopping trips, commutes, or other trips will earn you rewards when using the RIDE Solutions app for logging green travel options! The most feasible means of alternative travel include carpooling and transit use. Walking can be a viable alternative as well, if one lives in close proximity to a shopping center or a downtown shopping district, for example.
There are numerous reasons to consider driving small this holiday season. One good reason is that it helps to keep dollars within the community. It has been estimated that 90 percent of every dollar spent on gas leaves the local economy. Therefore, saving gas by carpooling, walking, or using transit helps you to have more of your money available to buy gifts for friends or loved ones, or for savings; you’ll also forego wear-and-tear on your vehicle. Another reason is that this time of year, roads and parking lots tend to be jammed with holiday shoppers, and using alternate means of transportation takes trips off the road and reduces the number of cars circling parking lots looking for spaces. Third, you’ll earn points and rewards by logging your green trips – wherever they may be – this holiday season!
As was noted above, carpooling is a very good way to drive small this holiday season. However, transit is also an excellent option. Danville Transit – which also includes Reserve-A-Ride and Handivan service– offers comprehensive service throughout the City of Danville Monday through Saturday, and serves numerous shopping and dining destinations such as Piedmont Drive in the vicinity of the Danville Mall, and the River District, as well as employment centers such as Cane Creek Centre and Airside industrial parks. More information about Danville Transit can be found at https://www.danville-va.gov/508/Mass-Transit. Piedmont Area Regional Transit (PART) serves popular destinations in the City of Martinsville and Henry County Monday through Friday, such as uptown Martinsville, the Village of Martinsville shopping center, Wal-Mart/Lowes, and other destinations along U.S. Route 220 south of Martinsville. More information about PART can be found at http://www.martinsville-va.gov/residents/bus-system-p-a-r-t. The Ferrum Express provides service between the Village of Ferrum and the Town of Rocky Mount Thursdays through Saturdays, as well as to and from the City of Roanoke on Saturdays. More information on the Ferrum Express is available at https://radartransit.org/ridership-information/college-express/.
If you have not yet downloaded the free RIDE Solutions app, you can do so today, at ridesolutions.org, and begin earning points toward rewards for the green trips you take!