August 20, 2013 - Bismarck, N.D. – Capital Area Transit (CAT Bus) riders now have the opportunity to receive an affordable ride any time of the day or night thanks to a new program called Guaranteed Ride Home.
Guaranteed Ride Home is a taxi voucher program that launched mid-July. It was designed to provide affordable rides to those who work nontraditional work hours and don’t have the option to ride the CAT bus either to or from work due to their schedule. Any CAT rider may take advantage of the program with proof of their 30 day CAT pass.
“We are excited to be able to offer a program like this in our area. We often get asked why we don’t extend the CAT hours later into the evening. Unfortunately, doing that is just not feasible right now.” Said Robin Werre, Transit Director. “ We hope this will be a solution for those individuals who need it. If it goes well, we will look to find long-term funding to keep this program going.”
The Guaranteed Ride Home program is funded by a grant from the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), and is made possible by the partnership between Bis-Man Transit, the CAT bus and Taxi 9000.
“As the population of the Bismarck/Mandan area continues to grow, we have been seeing an exponential growth in the number of work related taxi rides.” Said Gary Schumacher, Owner/General Manager of Taxi 9000. “It will be nice to give them a break on their taxi fare and we are happy to partner with the CAT on this program.”
Per the program requirements, riders will need to take the CAT bus one way – either to
or from work. Then the rider will request a Guaranteed Ride Home voucher from the CAT driver. The voucher will then be good for $5 off of their next Taxi 9000 fare either to or from work, with expiration in four days. Program rules and information may be found at www.thecatbus.com/GuaranteedRideHome
Started in 1990, Bis-Man Transit provides 24/7 door-to-door transportation for people with disabilities and seniors age 60 or older. Bis-Man Transit operates within the cities, and two miles surrounding city limits of Bismarck, Mandan and Lincoln N.D., and provides service to the University of Mary.
Capital Area Transit, better known as the CAT Bus, is the fixed route public bus system serving Bismarck and Mandan, N.D. The CAT was started in 2004 and currently runs 12 routes.