Two van companies, Blackstreet Van Line and Royal Rose, will offer free rides on one of the busiest shopping days of the year: the Saturday before Christmas.
The offer is good from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 20 along the buses' normal Flatbush Avenue routes from downtown Brooklyn through Crown Heights and East Flatbush to Canarsie.
East Flatbush resident and owner of the Crown Heights-based Blackstreet, Winston Williams, told DNAinfo.com that the company tries to do what they can to show their appreciation and to stand out in a "positive way."
Williams said that his four vans transport approximately 150 people every day, each only paying $2 per ride. He has been treating customers unofficially for years now though, for example, on Mother's Day he occasionally gives free rides to women.
On Christmas, Williams usually offers half-off rides, which he said can shock riders—many of whom still try to give money after being told their ride is free.
"They think there's a catch or something, but there's no catch," Williams told the site. "There's nothing that we want from them."
Earlier this year, the two companies teamed with a sponsor, MetroPCS, to offer free rides on two of the busiest shopping days of the year: Black Friday and the Saturday before Christmas.
Riders looking to catch the vans can do so by hailing them down or waiting at bus stops along the previously mentioned routes. Riders will be able to win tickets to a Brooklyn Nets game if they post about their experience with the hashtag #MetroFreeRide.
"We are just a couple of commuter vans who want to give back to the community," Williams said.
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