Cherriots will join 6,800 other public transportation providers nationwide to participate in Get On Board Day, Thursday, April 25. 

Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association, National Get On Board Day encourages people to support public transportation and showcases the benefits it brings to communities. Each weekday in the U.S., 34 million people board public transportation.

Get on Board for a Safer Way to Travel

• A person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90 percent by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car.
• Traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer per mile than traveling by automobile.

Get on Board for Saving Money

• The average household spends 16 cents of every dollar on transportation. Of this, 93 percent goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
• A household can save about $10,000 by taking public transportation and living with one less car.

WHAT:     National Get On Board Day, Thursday, April 25

WHERE:   Cherriots, 555 Court St. NE, Salem, Ore.

DETAILS:  Cherriots will be hosting an “open bus” at the Downtown Transit Center. Come tour one of the new buses and hang out with local celebrity Caesar the No Drama Llama. Caesar will be at the transit center from 3 to 5 p.m. to help raise awareness about public transportation and the important role it plays in the health and the livability of this community.

Public transportation transforms communities and the lives of the people living in them by spurring economic development, promoting sustainable lifestyles and providing a higher quality of life. Every segment of American society — individuals, families, communities, and businesses — benefits from public transportation.

Get on Board for economic opportunities

• Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $4 in economic returns.
• Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates more than 50,000 jobs.
• 70 percent of public funding for public transportation flows to the private sector, creating and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.
• Home values in areas located near high-frequency public transit performed 42 percent better than other areas.
• Hotels in cities with direct rail access to airports raise 11 percent more revenue per room than hotels in those cities without.
• A total of 87 percent of trips on public transit have a direct impact on the local economy.

Get on Board fast facts

• In 2017, people in the U.S. took 10.1 billion trips on public transportation.
• Since 1995, public transportation ridership has increased by 30 percent — a growth rate higher than the 22 percent increase in U.S. population.
• Public transportation is a $71 billion industry that employs more than 430,000 people.
• 45 percent of people in the U.S. have no access to public transportation.
• Millennials consider public transportation as the best option for digital socializing and among the best for connecting with communities.
• Communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually.
•  Access to public transportation gives people transportation options to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or go to a doctor’s office.