NORFOLK – Hampton Roads Transit will mark Earth Day this Friday, April 22, with a gift to customers of No Fares on every mode of service – bus, light rail, paratransit, and ferry.
Our No Fare-day is intended to encourage people who do not use transit to consider it as a means of rethinking their commutes by taking advantage of HRT’s transit services, and to say thank you to our many loyal customers.
“We welcome everyone on board - every day,” said HRT President and CEO William Harrell. “Give us a try.”
But Earth Day is more than just a day on the calendar. It’s a time for people to consider how they interact with the environment and to consider how they might ease pressure on our natural world. Taking transit is one way to use less gasoline and to reduce one’s carbon footprint – however small.
During the Earth Day commemoration, HRT is re-igniting its long-running Adopt-A-Stop program with a recruitment challenge. From April 22 to May 22 HRT is asking employees, customers, and even the agency’s board of commissioners, to consider adopting a transit stop – and recruit new adopted stops.
The Adopt-A-Stop program encourages community engagement through volunteerism to help us maintain transit stops and keep the neighborhoods of Hampton Roads beautiful.
HRT provides transit service to nearly 2,700 stops throughout the region. Faced with limited resources, HRT can collect trash at only around 13% of its highest volume stops with passenger amenities. You can help make a difference in your community through the HRT Adopt-A-Stop program.
Adopters agree to pick up and dispose of litter, along with reporting issues such as graffiti and broken shelter glass, around their adopted transit stop(s) for a minimum period of one year (adopters may choose to participate for longer if they want).
To help adopters, HRT provides a startup kit that includes a trash container, safety vest(s), a stand and sweep/pan combo, and a one-time supply of trash bags and rubber gloves.
Additionally, customers can now use the “Am I Clean” feature at stops and shelters across the region.
The “Am I Clean” tool will quickly, easily, and anonymously report any observations at your stop. Using your cellphone, scan the QR code from the “Am I Clean” sign at the stop with HRT amenities, and you will be directed to our website where you can enter what you’re seeing. If your stop does not have any HRT amenities visit gohrt.com/clean to report your observations.
Your feedback will allow HRT to make better use of our cleaning services and provide data for making critical improvements in our transit system.
For more information on transit services, visit gohrt.com.