MOORPARK : Metrolink Offering Month of Free Rides

Metrolink riders who buy a monthly pass for January will get to ride for free in February, transportation officials said Friday.

The offer is being made to promote use of monthly passes instead of one-way tickets, Metrolink Executive Director Richard Stanger said. For frequent users of the new commuter system, monthly passes are the most economical way to ride, he said.

Transportation costs can drop by more than one-third when a commuter uses a monthly pass, Stanger said. A one-way ticket from Moorpark to Los Angeles is $6.50. But with a monthly pass, the price will drop to $4.40 per trip in January, he said.

To ride free in February, commuters need only purchase a January pass, which will be valid for two months instead of one. Passes will be sold Dec. 27 through Jan. 10 at all Metrolink stations, at the Union Station ticket window and at companies with a transportation coordinator, officials said.

The pass is good for unlimited trips during the calendar months and only has to be displayed to a train conductor upon request. For more information, call 1-800-371-LINK.