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Taunton Residents! Get Free Paw Sox Tickets!

lemond — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:34:49 +0000

Join GATRA for Taunton Gazette Night at the Paw Sox McCoy Stadium, Friday, May 17, 2013 at 7:00 PM. Get your FREE tickets to the game at the GATRA administrative office, 10 Oak Street, Taunton, MA, between May 13 and May 17, 2013. Limit 4 tickets per family; while supplies last. For more information, contact GATRA at 508-823-8828.

At the game, you can win a 31-day GATRA Bus Pass and other great raffle prizes!

GATRA Congratulates Shari Cote

lemond — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:14:36 +0000

GATRA is pleased to announce that Shari Cote, age 16, from Taunton, MA, and a student at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School, is the winner of the 2013 “Safe Jobs for Youth” Poster Contest sponsored by The Massachusetts Youth Employment & Safety Team and The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health. Shari’s winning poster will be displayed on MBTA and GATRA transit buses beginning this month. Great job Shari!

Take Rt. 18 to Project Homeless Connect

lemond — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:36:47 +0000

Need transportation to the Project Homeless Connect Event at the Silvia Recreation Center, 66 Hodges Ave., Taunton, MA? On April 17, 2013, the GATRA Route 18 bus will make a route deviation to the event on that day ONLY. See below for bus schedule and additional information. For a FREE bus pass to the event, contact the United Way of Attleboro/ Taunton at 508-222-2337.

HS Students Ride for FREE April 15-19

lemond — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:31:54 +0000

In an effort to promote public transportation as a sustainable and affordable source of transportation, GATRA will offer high school students the opportunity to ride fare FREE during school vacation week (April 15th through April 19th). To ride fare free, students will simply show their school issued student ID or GATRA issued photo ID.

Students wishing to obtain a GATRA photo ID can do so by calling our customer service at 508-823-8828 and setting up an appointment.

Winners of Ride ‘n Shop Raffle Announced

lemond — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:11:28 +0000

GATRA is pleased to announce the following winners of our Ride ‘N Shop Raffle to the Independence Mall:

Bella Martinez of Plymouth
Jean Thomas of Kingston
Gordon Wager of Plymouth
Anne McKendry of Marshfield

Congratulations to each of our lucky winners and a big thank you to Independence Mall for their generous donation of four $25.00 mall gift certificates.

Transit Tax Benefits Increase in 2013

lemond — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:53:47 +0000

The Internal Revenue Service announced earlier this month the tax changes from the recently passed American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

**For tax year 2013, the monthly limitation regarding the aggregate fringe benefit exclusion amount for transit passes and transportation in a commuter highway vehicle is $245, up from $240 for tax year 2012 (the legislation provided a retroactive increase from the $125 limit that had been in place).

So what does the above tax change mean to the average transit user? If you and your employer take advantage of the pre-tax transit benefit, it means that you can save more money in 2013 and get a little more back on your 2012 tax return with the help of a retroactive increase of $240 from the $125 limit that had been in place for most of the year.

**From an IRS announcement released Jan. 11, 2013

GATRA Survey for Seekonk Residents

lemond — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:04:58 +0000

GATRA is pleased to provide Seekonk residents with an opportunity to express their needs, desires and support for public transportation. Your participation in this important town survey will provide us with the information we need to identify possible service offerings in your town. This survey will take approximately 5 minutes or less to complete. Please click here for the survey.

GATRA Launches Ride Match

lemond — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:57:08 +0000

GATRA is pleased to announce the launch of Ride Match, a new web-based tool that offers quick, easy access to information about transportation options for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and anyone needing to travel in Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond.

In early 2011, GATRA teamed up with Automated Business Solutions (ABS), a Pennsylvania-based company that specializes in automated paratransit software solutions, to develop a one-stop repository of transportation providers. Today, Ride Match is the product of considerable effort spent collecting data, interviewing transportation providers, and developing an online searchable database.

Ride Match Features an Easy-to-use Search Function
To locate a transportation provider in a typical community in Southeastern Massachusetts, users go to http://www.massridematch.org/. On the home page, users are asked to enter their town of origin, their destination, and the day and time of their trip. They can also specify any special needs such as wheelchair accessibility or if they need to travel with a personal care attendant. After submitting the form, Ride Match instantly delivers contact information for all public, private, and non-profit transportation services that meet the user’s needs. By clicking on a specific provider, users access the vendor’s profile page which includes detailed information on service area, days and hours of operation, reservation and cancellation policies, types of vehicles used, and other special services.

Comprehensive, detailed information is available for the 28 cities and towns that comprise the GATRA service area, and additional information is available across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The intent is to build the database so that it will eventually become a state-wide resource. All the information in Ride Match is supplied and maintained by the transportation providers who have online password-protected access to their own data. Organizations or transportation providers whose services are not already in the database can request to be included by filling out an online form at: http://www.massridematch.org/Register.asp

“Not everyone in Massachusetts has easy access to a personal vehicle or public transportation. Ride Match was designed to help fill the gaps and provide the state’s most vulnerable populations, as well as the agencies that serve them, with a way to easily identify all the transportation options within their communities,” said Mary Basilone, GATRA’s Mobility Manager. “Access to transportation is essential for leading a full and active life, and we hope that Ride Match will enhance the ability of all our consumers to live more mobile and independent lives.”

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Attleboro to Host MassDot Meeting

lemond — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:57:34 +0000

MassDOT is continuing its series of statewide public meetings, engaging with residents, community leaders and business owners to discuss the future of transportation in the Commonwealth. To ensure that all regions of the Commonwealth are represented, MassDOT recently announced that it added Attleboro to its list of cities that it will be visiting. Date, time and location of the Attleboro meeting is listed below:

December 6, 2012 6-8 PM
Attleboro City Hall
City Council Chamber
77 Park Street
Attleboro, MA 02703

Important Notice: October 30, 2012- Brockton meeting is POSTPONED due to expected weather and will be rescheduled. Check out the MassDot website for new date, times, and location.

Ride Public Transportation and Save Big!

lemond — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:02:49 +0000

Individuals who ride public transportation instead of driving can save, on average, $828 this month, and $9,934 annually, according to the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) October Transit Savings Report.

The savings are based on the cost of commuting by public transportation compared to the cost of owning and driving a vehicle, which includes the Oct. 24, 2012 average national gas price ($3.63 per gallon- reported by AAA) and the national unreserved monthly parking rate.

So if you are looking for ways to save this fall, GO GATRA!