As a way of saying thank you to local patrons, South East Area Transit is offering free transportation Friday. 

On June 28, all in-county services will be available to riders at no cost. 

“We just feel like we don’t want money to be a barrier for why people aren’t getting where they need to go,” said Operations Director Andrea Thompson. “So when we do a few free rides, we really like that concept.”

When free rides were last offered in February, Thompson said about 200 more riders utilized SEAT than any other day in the last two years.

Still, ridership is up significantly since 2017.

As of May, SEAT has 10,000 riders. Scheduled trips have also increased by 83 percent from April 2018 to April 2019. Almost 8,000 demand response trips were scheduled. 

Much of that growth is attributed to new efforts in education and communication. 

“We focused a lot on customer service and educating the public that SEAT is here for everyone to ride, not just from a certain income or insurance or age,” said Thompson. “It’s for everyone.”

According to Thompson, much work has been done to improve relations with area healthcare and rehabilitation providers, including Genesis, Muskingum Valley Health, Muskingum Behavioral Health, Allwell and Southeastern Med. 

The goal is to let patients know there are ride services available on demand to ensure transportation to and from appointments.

Additionally, SEAT has coordinated efforts with the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department, Job and Family Services and juvenile court.

Anyone who is new to SEAT can call the office for a free week on the street route or three free door-to-door trips.