{"id":404227,"date":"2024-01-10T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=404227"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Transit-CNMI-s-newest-bus-route-serves-more-than-5K-passengers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Transit-CNMI-s-newest-bus-route-serves-more-than-5K-passengers\/","title":{"rendered":"Transit CNMI&#8217;s newest bus route serves more than 5K passengers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After making history with the launch of the CNMI\u2019s first-ever dual-directional bus route, the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority is thrilled to announce the success of Transit CNMI\u2019s Blue Line bus route in its inaugural month of operations.<\/p>\n<p>From Nov. 24 to Dec. 31, 2023, a total of 5,337 riders embraced the convenience and accessibility of Transit CNMI\u2019s Blue Line 1B, surpassing expectations and underlining the community\u2019s enthusiasm for reliable public transportation.<\/p>\n<p>Public Transportation special assistant Alfreda Camacho Maratita says the significant passenger numbers in the first month of service are indicative of the ongoing need for public transportation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn just a handful of weeks, our passengers have shown us how much they appreciate Transit CNMI\u2019s service,\u201d Maratita said. \u201cThe Blue Line 1B is just the start of what we\u2019ve designed to answer the demands of our increasingly mobile community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Arnold I. Palacios likewise congratulated COTA for a successful launch of Transit CNMI\u2019s newest bus route.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe very positive response underscores the pressing need for reliable public transportation,\u201d Palacios said. \u201cI commend the vision and dedication of everyone involved, and I look forward to further advancements in meeting the evolving mobility needs of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang said that he is pleased with the high number of passengers on the Blue Line 1B.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI commend COTA and its dedicated team for their hard work and vision in bringing this service to fruition,\u201d Apatang said. \u201cThe success of the Blue Line 1B reflects our commitment to enhancing the lives of our residents through reliable and efficient transit options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Transit CNMI\u2019s Blue Line 1B currently features two buses traveling simultaneously, one northbound and one southbound, with stops in key locations from Garapan to Koblerville.<\/p>\n<p>Fare structure effective Jan. 1, 2024<\/p>\n<p>Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, each trip on the Blue Line will be priced at $1. In addition, Transit CNMI offers discounted rates of $0.50 for students, veterans, active-duty military, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities. Day passes are also available for $5 per day to the general public, or a discounted rate of $2.50 per day for students, veterans, active-duty military, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Passengers can pay on the bus with cash (exact change only) or obtain bus passes from 7:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday at COTA\u2019s administrative offices which are located on the fourth floor of the Marianas Business Plaza in Suite 410.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about Transit CNMI, including rates, times, and the list of stops, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/transit.cnmi.gov\" target=\"_blank\">transit.cnmi.gov<\/a> or contact (670) 236-2682. <em><strong><em>(COTA)<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 480px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/c7e257f1225a796582352e9364cf4155.jpg\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\n<p>The Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority announced its first fare increase since the program\u2019s inception in 2013, and it is a crucial step in supporting the expansion of our public transit services.<\/p>\n<p>-COTA<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After making history with the launch of the CNMI\u2019s first-ever dual-directional bus route, the Commonwealth&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-404227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}