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Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Offering Free Rides Though Saturday

By Brittany PolitoPrint Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Catch a free bus ride in Berkshire County while you can.

Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is offering free rides from Monday, July 12 through Saturday, July 17 to welcome new riders and thank existing ones for their patronage.

"The BRTA is so happy to see everyone out and about," Deputy Administrator Sarah Vallieres said. "This is a big ‘thank you' to all of our customers who used our services throughout the pandemic and a 'welcome aboard' to anyone who has never traveled with us."

This is a promotion to encourage riders to use the public transportation services they offer through 13 communities in Berkshire County in the hopes of generating more interest and more ridership for the rest of the year.

It is a way to welcome back existing riders and new riders as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to lessen and more people are leaving their homes.

BRTA has made some service changes and some alterations to the transfer policy, Vallieres said, and this free week is also intended to help riders and potential riders familiarize themselves with the transportation system.


This is the first time BRTA has offered such a promotion because the authority, along with the entire world, has never experienced an event like a global pandemic that caused such disruption in life.

"The BRTA does offer free rides on your birthday, but nothing for a full week of service," Vallieres added.

In the month of June, there were 30,468 riders on the fixed-route bus system.  The BRTA's numbers are trending upwards as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lessens.

Specific schedule or route information may be obtained by contacting the operations department at 1-800-292-BRTA extension 1 or by visiting the BRTA website.

 


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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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