“SWEET SURPRISES” EVENT SET FOR MARCH 22 ON PUBLIC TRANSIT

To encourage area residents to utilize transit to get where they need to go – St. Clair County Transit District in partnership with Citizens for Modern Transit, Metro Transit, UMSL, AARP in St. Louis, Bureau of Transit Police and Metro Transit Public Safety –  will host a rider “Sweet Surprises” event on Monday, March 22. The event is being held in conjunction with the start of spring, which will officially get underway a couple days earlier. Partners will hide in plain sight 100 golden, prize-filled eggs at Metro Transit Centers during the morning commute. If a transit rider finds an egg, they can keep it and its contents. There will be an additional hundred golden egg cutouts “hidden” on MetroBus and MetroLink vehicles. If a transit rider finds one of those paper eggs, all they need to do is look for their prize which is attached to the back of the golden egg cutout.

The golden eggs “hidden” at Metro Transit Centers will be filled with chocolate bunny candy, swag from event partners and free transit passes, including either a two-hour pass, a one-day pass, a weekly pass or a month-long pass. Transit riders who find an egg cutout on MetroBus and MetroLink vehicles will receive similar prizes. To encourage social media engagement, transit riders who find any of the eggs and post a selfie of themselves on Facebook or Twitter, using one of the noted event hashtags noted will be eligible for a drawing for a $100 gift card.

“Public transportation is a safe, cost-effective, convenient means for getting to work, school, medical appointments and entertainment venues – or to gain access to groceries, prescriptions and other necessities,” said Kimberly Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “We are using this event to encourage people to hop on transit and experience why it’s such a sweet ride.”

Chair of the St. Clair County Board of Trustees Herb Simmons adds, “These simple gestures go a long way towards demonstrating our appreciation to riders and helping them see that police officers and public safety officials are here and available to help assist them.”

This event provides a valuable opportunity for the partnering organizations to interact with riders, strengthen relationships and reinforce their collective commitment to a safe, world-class, customer-focused transit experience.