Issues ‘Ride the Bus Day’ Proclamation
By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published in Texas Border Business newsprint edition January 2019
During a ceremony that took place at the bus station, Mayor Jim Darling said that McAllen Metro has been part of the city for quite some time. It runs efficiently with all the improvements that have been implemented.
The occasion was to encourage everyone to use public transportation using buses that offer Wi-fi and a safe ride to your destination. Several members of his team were invited to join him for a journey throughout the city of McAllen.
He said, “When you think about what it costs to drive a car, the payment of the car, insurance, gasoline, the frustrations of being in traffic, although McAllen’s got a pretty good handle on that, that it’s just so much cheaper to transit through public transportation.”
He continued to say that it’s relatively cheap; for senior citizens, it only costs 50 cents. “I mean, if you’re JJ’s age, it costs a dollar.” The mayor was referring to J.J. Zamora, McAllen city commissioner, also present to attestand taking the ride.
Mayor Darling emphasized that it’s pretty cheap when you think of coming and going and all that all over the city; plus, transfers are free. “So, if you’re way on the south side you may have to get on an Airbus to go to the north side, well, that’s free. Coming and going once twice a day it only costs you $2 at the most, so that’s a great bargain if you will.”
“I took public transportation as a kid; I grew up in New York. I probably rode buses until I was 10 years old and never seen an automobile until then.” According to Mayor Darling
The mayor also announced that McAllen Metro has its own phone app that helps metro users to track buses in their system and plan a ride. “I hope that the department heads riding the bus today have their app ready; I got mine,” he said, realizing that he was wearing the wrong hat, it was one belonging to the bridge.
During the ceremony, Mayor Darling read a proclamation dedicated to public transportation. The following is a portion of what he read, “Whereas Public Transit is a great alternative method of transportation for anyone who is hoping to reduce the wear and tear on their own vehicle. And by the way, public transit sometimes doesn’t drop you right off at the door, so it’s an excellent way to get some exercise, too, because you have to walk to the bus stop to get where you’re going. So that’s a unique opportunity to save gas by riding another vehicle and getting a little bit of exercise inat the same time. Whereas it is incumbent upon us to make sure that we have the best, safest, and most efficient public bus system in the Rio Grande Valley, and whereas the City of McAllen encourages residents to participate in riding the bus daily to and from work and other related activities. So, therefore, I, Jim Darling, do hereby proclaim November 8th, 2018 is Ride the Bus Day.”
“What a great way when you take your magazine or your newspaper to get to read on the way, you don’t have to face all that frustration in traffic,” Mayor Darling finalized.
