Lake County, OH — On Friday, May 19, 2017, Laketran will be offering free rides to encourage riders to bike to the bus stop for a healthy and environmental friendly commute as part of National Bike to Work Day.  Passengers on Local Routes 1-6 and Park-n-Ride Routes 10-13 who ride their bikes to the bus stop on Friday, May 19 will ride Laketran for free.

“Laketran is participating in the national effort to promote alternative transportation options to driving a car,” shares Julia Schick, spokesperson for Laketran.  “There are many benefits to biking and riding. There are the obvious health benefits, but biking and riding public transportation also has an impact on local air quality and improved access with multi-model transportation options.”

Laketran will be honored by Lifeline, Inc. with their annual Outstanding Community Partnership Award for their collaboration on a new Consumer Bike program.  This award recognizes a program or collaboration that shows both innovation and results in helping low-income families achieve self-sufficiency.

Lifeline launched a Consumer Bike program to assist customers with obtaining an alternative form of transportation to increase independence. This program is designed for those who need a bicycle for daily activities not for leisure purposes. The use of a bicycle can assist customers with getting to work, medical appointments, and other necessary community activities. Lifeline has partnered with Laketran to educate customers on the benefits of using bicycles in conjunction with public transportation to expand customer travel opportunities. To receive a bicycle, customers must complete a safety class and register their bicycle with the appropriate municipality. Applicants must also be referred by a collaborating agency in Lake County.

Laketran received the award along with The Painesville Recreation Department who also assisted in the success of this pilot program.

Carrie Dotson, executive director of Lifeline shared, “Laketran’s willingness to help Lifeline launch a new program that meets a specific need in our community is appreciated by Lifeline and our Board of Directors. Sometimes the distance to walk to a bus stop prohibits access to employment, but with the on-board bikes racks and instructional program that helps people how to use them creates more opportunity for our clients to find jobs.”

Laketran’s Rack-n-Roll program carried 6375 bicycles in 2016. All buses operated on Local Routes 1-6 and Park-n-Ride Routes 10-13 are equipped with two on-board bike racks for riders to secure their bikes before boarding. Laketran Park-n-Ride lots have bike racks for riders to lock their bikes if they prefer not to take their bike with them downtown.

For more information about Bikes on Buses watch our How to Rack-n-Roll video.