Anchorage offers free bus rides for federal workers during shutdown

Anchorage’s People Mover system is offering free bus rides for federal government workers during the ongoing government shutdown.

Officials announced the offer Thursday, the 27th day of the federal government’s partial shutdown. About 800,000 federal workers across the country missed a paycheck last week because of the shutdown.

Workers must show their federal government IDs when boarding regular buses or scheduling rides on smaller buses for seniors and people with disabilities.

[Analysis: Why Alaska has more at stake in the partial government shutdown than any other state]

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz says officials hope the offer will help at a time when federal workers “are paying a price” for the shutdown.

Spokesman Bart Rudolph says fares for adults on regular buses are $2 for a single one-way trip, $5 a day for unlimited use or $60 monthly for unlimited use.