BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — As we see a slight improvement in the air quality, Golden Empire Transit announced it is suspending free rides as of Tuesday.

Golden Empire Transit District will suspend free rides due to an Air Quality Index of under 150.

If the AQI goes above 150, GET will once again implement the FREE rides. It is a day to day monitoring and GET watches the AQI very carefully.

Funding for AQI free rides on GET’s fixed-route and Get-A-Lift services is provided by a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant.

The CMAQ program is a flexible federal‐aid funding source for transportation projects that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, specifically for the pollutants ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.