The Gainesville Regional Transit System is offering free rides on all bus routes for Election Day.
The decision to waive bus fares is to encourage people to vote without transportation as a hurdle, per release.
RTS routes have stops at nine different polling locations across Gainesville.
These locations include:
- City College
- North Gainesville Baptist Church
- North Central Florida YMCA
- Santa Fe College Blount Center
- Hilton UF Conference Center
- Freedom Community Center at Kanapaha Park
- Gateway Christian Center
- Creekside Community Church
- Millhopper Branch Library
Voters must vote at their designated precinct, which is based on the address used to register to vote. Alachua County voters can find their voting precinct at the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website. RTS routes can be tracked in real-time on the service’s live tracking website.
RTS busses require masks or facial coverings for all riders. Busses will transport no more than 20 people at a time to maintain social distancing protocol amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
UF first-year interdisciplinary ecology PH.D. student, Natalia Uribe, 29, boards RTS bus No. 34 on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Uribe said she thinks the buses are safe and that not many people are using them.
Steven Walker is the Fall 2021 Editor in Chief of The Alligator. He has previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel; and has bylines in the Miami Herald, Associated Press and Florida Times Union. In his free time, he likes to take long walks with his dog Luna and watch his favorite sports teams, the Orlando Magic and the Green Bay Packers.
