October 15, 2020
Regional Transit Service (RTS) announced today that it is expanding the free fares for military veterans program to Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne and Wyoming Counties. The free fares apply to regular route service only. Dial-a-ride service is not included.
“Through our work with county leaders and veterans throughout the RTS service area, we learned that transportation is a barrier to veterans having access to important destinations and services in their communities,” RTS CEO Bill Carpenter said. “These brave men and women volunteered to put themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedom. Instituting free fares is our way of removing that barrier and saying thank you.”
This announcement follows implementation of free fares for veterans in Monroe County in July. RTS is working with the Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) to implement the program. The VOC, in partnership with veterans’ programs in each county, is managing the process veterans will follow to apply for and receive a customized Veteran’s Pass. Veterans must use this pass to receive the free fare.
“All of us at VOC wish to thank RTS for their support of our local veterans,” Veterans Outreach Center Executive Director and Army Veteran Laura Stradley said. “Through their partnership with the bus pass program, we are able to ensure our veterans have reliable, free of charge transportation. We are excited to expand the bus pass program to our surrounding counties and look forward to teaming up with local Veterans Service Agencies to offer this service to those who live outside of Monroe County.”
How to Apply
Veterans should follow these steps to apply for their ID:
- Review the eligibility requirements at https://veteransoutreachcenter.org/rts
- Complete the “I need services” form linked on the webpage
- A VOC employee will reach out to the veteran to complete the process
Additionally, the VOC will be on site in each county over the next few months to help veterans apply for and obtain their ID. They can make an appointment to meet with VOC representatives in their respective county according to the following schedule.
Genesee County
- When: 10/28, 11/11, 11/25, 12/9, 12/23
- Where: Genesee County Veteran Service Agency, 3837 West Main Street, Batavia
Livingston County
- When: 10/16, 10/30, 11/13, 11/27, 12/11
- Where: Livingston County Veteran Service Agency, 7 Murray Hill Drive, Mt. Morris
Ontario County
- When: 10/21, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16, 12/30
- Where: Ontario County Veteran Service Agency, 3010 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua
Orleans County
- When: 10/26, 11/9, 11/23, 12/7, 12/21
- Where: Orleans County Veteran Service Agency, 13996 Route 31 West, Albion
Seneca County
- When: 10/22, 11/5, 11/19, 12/3, 12/17
- Where: Seneca County Veteran Service Agency, 1 Dipronio Drive, Waterloo
Wayne County
- When: 10/23, 11/6, 11/20, 12/4, 12/18
- Where: Wayne County Veteran Service Agency, 7376 Route 31, Suite 1300, Lyons
Wyoming County
- When: 10/29, 11/12, 11/26, 12/10
- Where: Wyoming County Veteran Service Agency, 5362 Mungers Road, Silver Springs
Flyers for the VOC on-site visits in each county can be found at https://bit.ly/3dz33e4.
Veterans can contact the VOC regarding their RTS free fare ID or any other veterans-related issue by calling them toll-free at 1-866-906-VETS (8387).
# # #
Back to all news