BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday kicked off May in Motion, a time when Valley Regional Transit and the Ada County Highway District encourage and educate the public about transportation alternatives.
VRT says if you use alternative transportation one day a week, you're taking as much as 20 percent of traffic off the interstate. They say their goal is to educate people about transportation alternatives, including walking, biking, taking public transportation, or even carpooling, to work.
They say they understand that alternative transportation may not be for everyone - but they'd like people to consider an alternative if it works for them.
They also know it can sometimes be hard for folks to go to a store and buy a bus pass.
MORE: Improved public transportation could ease Treasure Valley traffic congestion but faces challenges
So on Wednesday, VRT rolled out a new mobile ticketing app that allows people to buy passes on their phones. The Valley Connect app is available at the Android and Apple stores.
"You can basically order those online and show it to your driver, so there's no tickets to be aware of and you can keep an archive of the passes that you have," VRT spokesman Mark Carnopis said.
Single ride and one-day passes are also half price on the app in May, and Boise GreenBike rides are free.
There will be a block party on May 18 on the Idaho Transportation campus, complete with food trucks, live music, a traveling trolley exhibit and other activities.