Madison County Transit

MCT COMMEMORATES 50,000th SUMMER YOUTH PASS BOARDING

Overall MCT Ridership Up 33% over Last July

GRANITE CITY, ILL., August 8, 2008 . . . When 14 year-old Shada Smith of Alton boarded the Madison County Transit (MCT) #11 Brown Shuttle today, she became one of the 50,000 Madison County students to ride the bus with a MCT Summer Youth Pass since May. Traveling with her mom and sisters to the grocery store and then to the bakery, Shada, who will enter the 9th grade in a few weeks, is a proud Youth Pass holder and a daily MCT rider. “The MCT Youth Pass is very useful for us,” she said. “We’ve always got somewhere to go and this summer we could do it for free.”

With less than a month to go, the 2008 MCT Summer Youth Pass program has far surpassed expectations, accounting for more than 50,000 boardings since May 27. Last spring, MCT distributed FREE Youth Passes to thousands of students in area middle schools and high schools – providing unlimited rides on MCT fixed route buses from Memorial Day to Labor Day. MCT staff worked with school officials to distribute the passes to students, along with an informational brochure about MCT and how to use the system.

“The mission of the Summer Youth Pass is to educate Madison County youth about the importance of public transportation and give them a chance to try it for themselves,” said MCT Managing Director Jerry Kane. “Based on the overwhelming success of the program, we believe that mission has been accomplished.” “Based on the overwhelming success of the program, we believe that mission has been accomplished.”

With the aid of the Youth Pass, Madison County youth have had free mobility to malls, movie theaters, pools, parks, summer jobs, summer classes, restaurants and other popular destinations. Coupled with high fuel prices, Youth Pass boardings have contributed to a 33% increase in MCT ridership for July 2008, over July 2007. “With fuel prices reaching an all-time high this summer,” said Kane. “The Youth Pass relieved a heavy transportation burden for thousands of families in Madison County when they needed it most.” For details about MCT services and bus schedules, please call (618) 931-7433, Option #3 or visit www.mct.org.

Madison County Transit (MCT) enhances the mobility of the St. Louis region by providing multi-modal transportation services. MCT operates a fixed-route bus service locally and regionally connecting to MetroLink; express weekday commuter service directly to and from downtown St. Louis; and seasonal express service to the Rams games and the Muny. For elderly and disabled residents who are unable to use the fixed-route buses, MCT provides paratransit bus service. MCT is also responsible for the construction and maintenance of more than 85 miles of scenic Madison County bikeways known as the MCT Trails, as well as overseeing RideFinders, the St. Louis region’s FREE carpooling and vanpooling program. For more information on MCT services, routes and schedules, call (618) 931-7433, Option 3, or visit www.mct.org.