FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 25, 2002

Contact: Brian Hutchings, BACS, 813-282-8200

Sandi Moody, BACS, 800-998-RIDE

Vicki Parsons, APR, 813-689-2616

Committed Bus Rider To Take “Sentimental Journal” to New York

Gaughan Wins Grand Prize from Commuter Choice Week

TAMPA, Fla. – Somehow it just seems right that Joan Gaughan won the grand prize trip to New York for ridesharing during Commuter Choices Week. She’ll be traveling to a city where lots of people have never owned cars – instead of not owning a car in a region where almost everyone does.

A native of Albany, NY, Gaughan lives in downtown St. Petersburg and works at Tampa Children’s Hospital at St. Joseph’s. “I don’t need a car,” she says. “My theory on life is that I’m better off if I leave the driving to someone else. I’m used to the concept of an urban lifestyle and getting a car off the road is better for the environment, minimizes stress and saves a lot of money.”

From her townhome across from Bay Walk, Gaughan says it’s easy to get anywhere she wants to go. Depending upon what’s on her schedule for the day, she takes the bus to work or rides with Dr. Eric Tridas, her employer for the last 16 years.

“Bus service here is very good,” she said. “I take one to Gateway Mall and catch the PSTA Express to downtown Tampa, then HARTline to St. Joseph’s Child Development Center. I leave at 6:15 a.m. and get to work at 7:50, si it’s not a bad trip at all.”

Gaughan also enjoys the camaraderie of the ride across the bay. “The bus is usually crowded and people get to know each other,” she said. “The other morning, one rider was passing home-baked food around. People who’ve been doing this a long time develop friendships with each other.”

A Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse, Gaughan sighed up for the Guaranteed Ride Home program through Bay Area Commuter Services, but has never needed the free ride home. “It’s kind of like a security blanket – it feels good knowing it’s there if I need it.”

She’s planning her trip to New York for a weekend in December – just in time for a sentimental journey back for big-city lights and holiday activities at the Rockefeller Center.

The trip includes round-trip tickets provided by AirTran and a two-night, three-day stay at Doubletree Guest Suites in Times Square. It was the grand prize offered to all Tampa Bay employees who agreed not to drive to work alone at lease one day during Commuter Choices Week, held Oct. 7 to 11. More than 2,400 people signed commitment cards, and a total of 25 awards are being distributed, said Sandi Moody, interim executive director of Bay Area Commuter Services.

Bay Area Commuter Services is a not-for-profit agency funded by the Florida Department of Transportation to relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality in the Tampa Bay region. For more information on commute options, including assistance in finding car and vanpool partners, call 1-800-998-RIDE or visit www.tampabayrideshare.org.

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