Courtesy photos
OXNARD – Riding on a Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) bus isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind as a way to ring in the holidays; however, for the month of December that’s exactly what many GCTD passengers did as they jingled all the way down the road!
This December GCTD staff unveiled its first annual “ELF on the GO” bus to bring holiday cheer throughout the community. The 40-foot holiday bus was decorated inside and out, brightening up the sky with hundreds of twinkling lights and bringing smiles to its passengers with holiday music and its very own District “elves” passing out candy canes and posing for “sELFies.”
The specially decorated bus appeared on regularly scheduled select routes from December 6th through December 22nd, carrying over 700 riders and passing out over 2,300 candy canes! “ELF on the GO” also made trips to the Oxnard Christmas Tree Lane, a popular destination for holiday lights display. When a heavy rainstorm was forecast, “ELF on the GO” took a night off while its “elves” quickly sprang into motion, distributing free rain ponchos to passengers waiting to board GCTD buses at Ventura and Oxnard Transit Centers.
The “ELF on the GO” bus also made special guest appearances at several community events. It delivered over 600 staff-donated canned food items to Ventura County Food Share’s 5th Annual Holiday CAN-tree Collection where GCTD staff was on-site building the District’s can-tree. The “ELF on the GO” bus was also spotted in the 2016 Oxnard Christmas Parade with staff “elves” and their families handing out 2,500 candy canes to onlookers.
Additionally, GCTD held a photo contest on Facebook and Twitter that encouraged riders to tag their “sELFies” with “ELFontheGO” for a chance to win a prize. Photos were randomly selected to win GCTD goodies and bus passes.
“I’m very proud of our staff here at Gold Coast Transit District,” stated Steve Brown, Gold Coast Transit District’s General Manager. “This was all their idea from the festively decorated bus to being cheerful elves! It was like Santa’s workshop in our bus yard as I watched bus operators, mechanics and staff working together for the benefit of our community.”
About the District: Gold Coast Transit District provides safe, responsive, convenient, efficient, and environmentally responsible fixed-route bus and paratransit public transportation that serves the diverse needs of the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ventura, and in the unincorporated County areas between the cities. Utilizing a fleet of 56 clean natural gas-fueled buses, and 24 paratransit buses and vans, GCTD carries nearly 4 million passengers annually on its 20 bus routes. GCTD is the largest provider of public transit in Ventura County and is governed by a Board of Directors made up of an elected official from each member jurisdiction. For more information or to plan your trip, visit www.GoldCoastTransit.org.
