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bart announces the return of the
wildly popular “kids ride free saturdays”
2006 PRESS RELEASES
BART ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF THE WILDLY POPULAR “KIDS RIDE FREE SATURDAYS”
August Promotion, Sponsored by Animation Giant VIZ Media, Brings Back Discount Destinations and Exciting Free Kids Packs
Oakland, CA, August 3, 2006 — It’s a summer Saturday and
the kids are itching to get out of the house, but the freeways and bridges
are a mess and the days of gas under $3.00 a gallon now seem like a distant,
fond memory. What to do? BART and its partners have the answer: Kids
Ride Free Saturdays!
For the month of August, children age twelve and under will be able to ride BART
for free on Saturdays, courtesy of VIZ Media, the San Francisco-based
publishing, licensing and animation company that has brought the well loved
POKéMON characters and many other popular series, such as ZATCH BELL!,
NARUTO, INUYASHA and more to the U.S.
BART is already a great way for parents and their children to get around the Bay
Area without the hassle of car seats, parking and traffic tie-ups,” said
BART Board President Carole Ward Allen in announcing the program August 3
at Fruitvale Station. “The 'Kids Ride Free Saturdays' promotion makes
BART an even better bargain -and a fun one at that. We've got exciting, entertaining
and economical destinations lined up for the first three
Saturdays and a really fun gift pack on the last Saturday thanks to VIZ Media."
“As a Bay Area based company we are pleased to partner with BART on the
‘Kids Ride Free’ promotion,” says Liza Coppola, Sr. Vice President,
Marketing for VIZ Media. “We are also delighted to share the fun of
manga and anime with Bay Area kids through the giveaway of free Kids
Packs.”
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SPECIAL DESTINATIONS & DISCOUNTS
Like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, each Kids Ride Free Saturday has
a big payoff at a destination. BART has arranged for special promotional
offers from the California Academy of Sciences, the Oakland A’s, and
the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (see the calendar for
details). VIZ Media will be distributing free “Kid Packs” of
manga, anime and more to children at Powell Street Station on August 26th.
IT’S AS EASY AS FLASHING A PASS
Here’s how it works: An adult must accompany the children and there is a maximum
of two children riding free per fare-paying adult. The children show their
special Kids Ride Free flash pass to the Station Agent and enter and exit
through the swing gates. The Kids Ride Free flash passes are available at
all BART stations and at most Safeway stores.
BIG OFFER FOR SMALLEST RIDERS
BART’s Kids Ride Free Saturday is the return of a promotional program that was first
tested in Summer 2003. BART found that the special flash passes are the most
effective way to make a big offer to our smallest riders.
HISTORY OF KIDS RIDE FREE
The Kids Ride Free promotion has been wildly popular with both kids and parents alike. The
promotion ran through the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. After
a hiatus, BART resumed the program in 2003 on a limited basis in order to research
whether people would still be interested in the program, and how best to re-launch
it.
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KIDS RIDE FREE CALENDAR
Aug 5th - California Academy of Sciences
Children (under 12) get in FREE with an adult paid admission every Saturday in August.
Aug 12th - Oakland A's vs. Tampa Bay
$14 ticket for just $5
Aug 19th - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
$15 ticket for just $5
Aug 26th - Free VIZ Media Kids Packs
Kids show their flash pass or BART ticket at Powell St. Station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to receive free manga & anime kids pack
KIDS
RIDE FREE RULES
- Free ride for children 12 & under each Saturday in August
- Children must be accompanied by a fare-paying adult
- Maximum of two children per each adult
- Show Kids Ride Free flash pass to Station Agent
- Kids enter through swing gates next to Station Agent's booth
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