PATCO Offering Free Rides NYE Into New Year's Day
CAMDEN (CBS) -- The PATCO high speed line is ringing in 2017 with a novel idea. Free rides on New Year's Eve.
#BREAKING: Free PATCO train fares for New Year's Eve into Early New Year's Day. 8p Saturday to 4a Sunday. pic.twitter.com/W5rGWZxYeH
— PATCO (@RidePATCO) December 29, 2016
From 8 p.m. Saturday until 4 a.m. Sunday, the turnstiles will be left open for anyone wanting to hop onboard. It'll cost the Delaware River Port Authority $20,000 in fares, but Board Chairman Ryan Boyer says it'll offer an alternative mode of travel to those who drink too much.
"It is a public safety and a public health issue and that this is an effective option," Boyer said.
Upwards of 7,000 people usually take the train out of South Jersey to Philadelphia on New Year's Eve.
Board Vice Chair Jeffrey Nash noted the Authority was not acting hastily in making the offer.
"We're able to do it because we're in such a strong financial position," Nash said. "If we were struggling, we would not be able to afford this."
Authority CEO John Hanson says there'll be extra security on the trains, but won't go into specifics.