Travel Training: Learn to Ride CityBus!

Students in Santa Rosa are learning to ride Santa Rosa CityBus this summer!

We haven't really discussed this very much on this blog, but Santa Rosa CityBus offers FREE travel training classes for groups who want to have someone help them learn our transit system in "real time". This service is generally used by seniors, students and those who have mobility challenges.

Santa Rosa CityBus was contacted by teachers from both Santa Rosa High School and Slater Middle School who wanted their students to learn how to use public transit. Both instructors realize that knowing how to read and understand the System Route Map and Time Schedule is a very valuable life skill and more than worth taking the time to learn.

So last week, 39 Santa Rosa students and 8 school staff members were treated to a comprehensive, hands-on training program. CityBus staff met the students at their schools and started the training by providing a general introduction to Santa Rosa CityBus, including helpful information on fares, bus tickets, monthly passes and transfers.

The students were given detailed instructions on how read the CityBus System Route Map and Time Schedules so they could comfortably plan the best routes for their CityBus trips.

After a short 20-30 minute in-class presentation the students all walked out of their classrooms to the closest CityBus stop and hopped on! Santa Rosa High School students rode the Route 1 to the downtown Transit Mall, then enjoyed a quite ride on the Route 19, our South City Connector. The students from Slater Middle School boarded the Route 8 on Sonoma Avenue, right in front of their school, and rode it to the downtown Transit Mall and back. This turned out to be a great practice trip for them as they were planning on taking CityBus to the Santa Rosa Plaza the very next day.

All the students in the training classes were given a Santa Rosa CityBus Youth Bus pass good for unlimited rides during the entire month of June, so they can practice and enjoy riding CityBus.

Feed back from students is always very positive. They really enjoy the class and, as a result, feel confident to use Santa Rosa CityBus to travel around town.

The Learn to Ride CityBus Travel Training Program was developed after the Council on Aging surveyed local senior citizens. One of questions asked in the survey was about their use of public transit. Twenty-five percent of the respondents said that they did not ride Santa Rosa CityBus simply because they didn’t know how. Seeing this as a great opportunity, Santa Rosa CityBus staff created the Learn to Ride CityBus – Travel Training Program.

Over the years, hundreds of Santa Rosa residents have taken advantage of the Travel Training Program and we are always more than happy to welcome Santa Rosa students aboard!

For more information or to schedule a Learn to Ride CityBus Travel Training for your class or organization, call Joy Gipson at (707) 543-3336. Classes are also available on the second Monday of each month (through October) at the Santa Rosa Senior Center. Call (707) 546-8608 to sign-up for this FREE class.