Beginning Saturday, July 25, volunteers of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles will be able to ride on Santa Clarita Transit for free during the 9-day event thanks to free Transit Access Pass (TAP) cards courtesy of Metro.

More than 7,000 Special Olympics athletes, representing 177 countries, will compete in the Games. Behind the scenes, over 30,000 volunteers across 27 venues in Los Angeles will be working hard to ensure all of the planned activities run smoothly.

To help these volunteers get around venues during the event, free TAP cards have been provided by Metro and distributed at volunteer kick-off meetings.

TAP is Los Angeles County’s cash-free system for transit fare payment. The City of Santa Clarita launched the TAP program locally in 2009, allowing riders to pay transit fares with pre-loaded TAP cards eliminating the need to carry exact change.

The free Special Olympics TAP card will be valid to volunteers for the duration of the Special Olympics event, from July 25 to August 2, 2015. The card will allow volunteers to travel on Metro’s bus and rail lines, as well as Santa Clarita Transit and other participating transit agencies. The free TAP cards are intended to encourage the use of public transportation use to and from game venues all over Los Angeles County.

“The City of Santa Clarita is in full support of the Special Olympics World Games. We’re very proud to be an official Host Town to the event and couldn’t be more excited to offer volunteers free rides on Santa Clarita Transit,” said Mayor Marsha McLean.

For more information about Santa Clarita Transit, please contact Santa Clarita Transit at (661) 294-1BUS or visit www.SantaClaritaTransit.com.