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March for Women's Lives Delegation
Update #2:
Getting To The March
The March for
Women's Lives is assembling at 10am on Sunday, April 25, on the National
Mall between 3rd and 14th Streets, NW. If you haven't done so already,
your delegation should try to finalize a travel plan by the end of this
month. Figure out the cheapest and most convenient way to travel to
Washington, DC: carpooling, renting a bus, or taking the train or a plane.
Renting a Bus
If you're traveling by bus, you'll need to get a sense of the costs for
chartering a bus, the number of people the bus holds, and the per-person
cost of each seat. Remember to factor in $30 per bus for parking, and
$2.40 per person for subway fare. This price is your base for your bus
ticket, and you may add $5-10 or more per ticket to help subsidize the
travel of others who otherwise couldn't afford the trip.
Don't wait until you've got a full busload to reserve your bus. You'll
needtime to start selling bus tickets and recruiting to fill those buses
and build your delegation. Your group should start as soon as possible!
Develop a registration form with bus information and a clip-off coupon for
reserving seats. The registration form should include information
participants will need to know on the day of the march, such as what to
bring. Make sure to get name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail: this
is crucial in case of an unavoidable last minute change. Some groups
charge more for last-minute reservations, as an incentive for people to
sign up early. This is especially important if you have to pay a portion
of the charge in advance.
The form should also have a place for people to subsidize travel for
others who cannot afford to pay. Many people will make donations for
this if requested.
Picking a Bus Company:
1. First, connect with local groups that have taken buses, like church
groups, to see their preferred carrier. Sometimes you can get a discount
if you've beenrecommended by a longstanding client.
2. If you are unable to get a recommended charter service, try to call
three different bus companies for price quotes before you commit to one. A
list of some certified bus charter companies is available at
http://www.buses.org/busandtravel.
3. Ask how many seats are in the bus, and if it has air-conditioning and a
lavatory. Also, ask the last date on which you may cancel buses and when
the payment is due. Most companies require some sort of advance deposit:
consider holding a fundraising event, or pre-selling as many tickets as
you can.
4. Some information to have at hand when calling the bus company:
-Location, date
and departure time of your trip
-return date if
overnight
-Number of
passengers
-Whether you
plan to make stops en route
-Expected time
of return
Remember, if you
find someone who will do the job for a rate that is too good to be true,
ask for references and check them. It's entirely possible that the low
price is legitimate, especially during off-season, but you must consider
safety and performance factors. Also, check any company's references with
the Better Business Bureau,
http://www.bbb.org.
Bus Parking in Washington, DC:
Most busses arriving on the morning of the March will be parked at the RFK
Stadium lot. Busses arriving earlier will be parked there and at
other locations as well. You should register your buses as soon as
possible on the March web site to be assigned a specific parking lot.
Visit
http://www.marchforwomen.org and click "Form a Delegation." Under
"Transportation," enter the number of buses and their estimated arrival
dates and times. (When determining arrival time, remember to account for
travel from the parking lot to the National Mall.) Directions to RFK
are available at
http://www.marchforwomen.org/travel. Remember to bring $30 cash per
bus for parking. Please do not attempt to drive your buses to the
National Mall: a number of major streets will be closed for the March, and
you could be stuck in traffic for hours.
Car Parking in Washington, DC:
Parking at RFK Stadium is for busses only, and cars will not be permitted
to enter the lot. Most lots in downtown DC are closed on Sundays; others
will be rendered inaccessible by street closings for the March.
Avoid traffic: leave your car in the suburbs and take the subway.
Cars should park at suburban Metro stations in Maryland and Virginia, and
then take the Metro in. Metro parking is free on Sundays, but you
should purchase your Metro farecard in advance (see below). Please see
http://www.marchforwomen.org/travel
for a list of parking lot locations and directions. Fares will vary
based on which lot you choose: see
http://www.marchforwomen.org/travel
for fares.
Transportation within Washington, DC
DC's Metro subway system opens at 7 am and closes at 3 am on Friday and
Saturday, or midnight on Sunday. Base fare within the city is $1.20;
a ride downtown from a suburban hotel or parking lot will cost more
depending on distance. Metro is adding many extra trains on Sunday, April
25 to handle the masses of people who are coming to Washington to
participate in the March. Information about Metro
can be found on their web site,
http://www.wmata.com.
The National Mall is serviced by the following Metro stations: Federal
Triangle, Smithsonian and Federal Center SW on the Blue and Orange lines;
Archives/Navy Memorial on the Yellow and Green lines; Union Station and
Judiciary Square on the Red lines; and L'Enfant Plaza on the Yellow,
Green, Blue and Orange lines. All stations are fully accessible for
wheelchairs. We recommend avoiding the Smithsonian station, as this is
always the most crowded.
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