Dec 7, 2018 2 min read

No, they won’t be giving away partridges in pear trees or releasing three French hens and two turtle doves, but Washington-based Freedom Transit is launching a giveaway program called “Twelve Stops of the Season” with a social media tie-in.

From Dec. 7 through Dec. 20, Santa-hatted Freedom Transit staffers will randomly board buses and hand out freebies to commuters.

“We haven’t done anything as a rider reward program before,” said Alexandra Sakalik, outreach and marketing coordinator for Freedom Transit.

Commuters can check Freedom Transit on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or the website freedom-transit.org to monitor on which route a giveaway will take place. The time of the giveaway, however, will be a surprise.

Although it’s random, Sakalik said the giveaway “will occur on all of our weekday routes at least twice” through Thursday, Dec. 20. Saturday routes will have one elf visit.

The Friday launch occurs in conjunction with the Holiday Market, which opens at 4 p.m. in the South Main Street Pavilion near West Wheeling Street.

Commuters needing to hop a bus to get home, alas, won’t be able to stay to watch the parade, which steps off at 7 p.m. from West Chestnut Street, because the marchers will outlast the final bus run.

Freedom Transit will have a vehicle in the parade and a table at the Holiday Market to promote its “Twelve Stops” program and its bus routes.

Although Dec. 7 to 20 encompasses more than 12 days, the buses don’t run on Sundays, so Dec. 9 and 16 are excluded.

Also part of the Twelve Stops of the Season campaign will be National Hot Cocoa Day Thursday, Dec. 13, when a hot cocoa social is planned for 8:30 to 10 a.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Washington Transit Center, 50 E. Chestnut St.

Riders who post photos online on or before Dec. 20 using #12stops will be entered in a contest to win one of two gift bags the morning of Dec. 21.