    Chadron’s celebration of Nebraska Public Transit Week continues today with all rides free.
Chadron Transit Director Julie Lawrence says ridership has increased steadily over the past year with the city bus getting the nickname UBER City Transit.
Lawrence has been able to expand operations of what for decades had been called the Handi-Bus and now serves customers of all ages.
Lawrence says the handful of public school students using Chadron City Transit to get to school have developed a wonderful relationship with their driver.
Before the service expansion, the bus was limited to the Chadron city limits but it now makes regular trips to the Chadron airport and Lawrence hopes to see a number of people use it for today’s Customer Appreciation Day at Butler Ag Equipment.
Butler is just outside the east city limits on Hwy 20, but Lawrence says anyone who wants a ride out – especially during the free meal from 11-2:00 – simply needs to call 432-0520 and the bus will come pick them and later bring them back – free trips today.
As for the rest of Transit Week, rides are free tomorrow with a canned goods donation for a local food pantry while Friday has an Open House at the Chadron Transit Offices in The Marketplace on West 2nd Street and free hamburgers from 11-1:00.
Chadron City Transit is an on-demand system with residents calling or going online to order a pick-up. The cost is $1 for each segment, but there are also passes offering 22 rides for $20 with a ride being the roundtrip from the pickup location to one or more destinations and back to the starting point.