Free Bus Rides

Johnstown, Pa. March 23, 2010 - CamTran plans to give back to its riders in a new way, by offering free rides via text message. 

CamText, the authority's text message alert system launched last Fall, has been keeping the authority's transit riders up-to-date on detours and delays. 

"CamText came in handy during this winter's snowstorms when we had detours," says Director of Marketing & Planning Jill Nadorlik.  "Now we'd like to use it as a way to give back to our loyal riders."

Subscribers will receive a text, instructing them to show the message to their bus or incline operator. The message then acts as a free pass for the day.  "All they'll have to do is show their phone, get on, and go," says Nadorlik.

CamTran understands that the message may be forwarded to people who are not CamText subscribers.  "If it gets someone on the bus on a day when they weren't going to ride or gets them riding more than they would have, we'll have succeeded," says Nadorlik.

CamTran is piloting the initiative this Friday with free rides on the Inclined Plane for subscribers.

To register for CamText, call CamTran at 535-5526 or log onto www.camtranbus.com and click on "Register for CamText." The service is free to subscribe to; recipients only incur charges from their cellular providers for the text message itself.