WHY IT RATES: Greyhound is looking to help the fight against coronavirus by offering free travel for those working on the front lines of the viral pandemic.-Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
As the largest provider of intercity bus transportation in North America, Greyhound has always been on the front line of critical transportation during national crises. Greyhound is currently providing safe transportation that directly supports essential services. To provide further support, today Greyhound launched, 'Rides for Responders,' a program that provides free travel for medical personnel and first responders who need to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These frontline heroes are putting their lives at risk to provide support and expertise not only in their communities, but they are also volunteering to travel across the country to help communities being hit hardest during the pandemic," said Rob Friedman, Chief Commercial Officer, Greyhound Lines, Inc. "We are so thankful for their sacrifices and we want to be able to help in whatever way we can. Transportation is what we do best; with this program we can take out the hassle and worry about how these medical personnel get to their destination so they can be rested and focus on their important task at hand."
'Rides for Responders' provides two free one-way tickets to any doctor, nurse, paramedic, EMT, medical technician, firefighter, member of law enforcement or mortician volunteering and needing to travel to a volunteer site by utilizing its existing Road Rewards program. Those looking to take advantage of the tickets can visit the program's website and follow the simple instructions. After signing up for Road Rewards and providing the necessary information, Greyhound will deposit the tickets into the member's account in approximately 72 hours.
The new program is not the only way the transportation line is providing assistance during the COVID-19 crisis. Greyhound's long-standing program, 'Home Free,' in partnership with the National Runaway Safeline, provides free tickets home to runaway and homeless youth. The program has seen an influx in calls related to the crisis due to stay-at-home orders, and to date has issued over 28% more tickets in the last two months than it did in 2019.
Currently, Greyhound is the only remaining nationwide bus network serving both rural and urban communities. While routes have been reduced and safety measures have increased, Greyhound plans to continue to provide travel for essential services.
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