Metro News Release

For immediate release: May 1, 2003

Free Metrobus Service to Columbia Pike Blues Festival

Arlington County is offering free Metrobus rides on all Columbia Pike regional Metrobus Routes 16C and 16E between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, during the 8th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival held at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive in Arlington. The free fares will provide customers with no-cost round trip transportation to and from the free festival. Arlington County’s ART" Arlington Transit" is sponsoring the free rides to highlight its own new ART 41 Columbia Pike-Ballston-Court House service and will reimburse Metro for the estimated amount of revenue normally collected from approximately 1,400 Sunday riders during the hours that the free fare will be in effect. Customers are encouraged to take Metrorail to the Pentagon station and conveniently transfer to the Route 16 buses on the upper level of the Pentagon Transit Center at bus bay U3. Customers will immediately know if they have boarded a bus that is offering free fares because as they enter the bus, they will see that the farebox has been covered with a sign that indicates rides are free. Transfers will not be issued, except to customers boarding with rail transfers who indicate that they require a bus transfer to make a subsequent bus-to-bus transfer. In such cases, bus operators will issue the customer a free transfer, and the customer will not be required to pay the rail-to-bus transfer charge of 25 cents. The Blues Festival will be held from noon until 4 p.m. For more information about the Blues Fesitval, visit www.columbiapikepartnership.com. For more information about ART 41, visit www.ArlingtonTransit.com and for more information about Metrobus, visit www.metroopensdoors.com.

News release issued on May 1, 2003.