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Whatcom County residents
now have more reasons to walk, carpool or bicycle to work.
Whatcom Smart Trips, a program developed by the Whatcom County Council of Governments
(WCOG), is offering cash and other incentives to residents when they choose
options besides driving.
Once registered with the Smart Trips program, participants are eligible for
$250 monthly prize drawings, $1,000 quarterly prize drawings, discounts to
Whatcom County merchants, community recognition and emergency taxi rides home.
Susan Horst, community transportation program manager at WCOG, said the program
was developed based on the success of their worksite-based Commute Trip Reduction
program (CTR), a program that encouraged large employers to encourage their
workers to drive less to work, which was successfully piloted in Bellingham
in 2004. Horst said part of the success of that program was based on its Smart
Commuter card, which offered discounts to a variety of Whatcom County businesses
to individuals who pledged to use public transportation, walk, bicycle or carpool
whenever possible.
More trips to foothills
In addition, the Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) recently added a fifth
departure to Route 72X, serving Deming, Kendall and Van Zandt. Route 72X (also
known as the Foothills Express) is a “flex route,” meaning that
in addition to fixed bus stops between Bellingham and Kendall, the bus can
pick-up and drop-off within a “flex zone” by request, said Maureen
McCarthy, of the WTA. The new departure of Route 72X leaves the downtown Bellingham
station at 1:25 p.m. and arrives in Kendall at 2:25 pm.
For more information about bus schedules, call 676-RIDE (7433) or visit www.ridewta.com.
For more information about the Whatcom Smart Trips program, visit www.whatcomSmartTrips.org.
Individuals without internet access are also able to use the Smart Trips program
by calling the Whatcom Council of Governments at 360/ 676-6974.
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