Tallahassee, Florida - December 8, 2011 -

If you're planning to be busy this Saturday shopping for the holidays, the City of Tallahassee hopes to make your experience even better. Saturday, Dec. 10, is the last Local Business Saturday of the year, and to encourage Tallahasseeans to get out and support local stores, StarMetro is offering free service all day! Because of federal requirements, however, Dial-A-Ride will not be able to be included in the free Saturday service.

"Shoppers can take advantage of StarMetro's offer to help reduce holiday stress by leaving the driving to us this Saturday," Mayor John Marks said. "Customers are sure to find some great holiday specials at Tallahassee's local businesses this weekend. Shopping local this season will keep more of our hard-earned dollars within this community and provide a boost to our local economy."

The City Commission approved the added benefit of providing free StarMetro service all day on Saturday, Dec. 10, to support the Local Business Saturday initiative and encourage more citizens to utilize the City's transit service.

"By offering free transit service, we hope to encourage our community to support local businesses and shop local," said Ron Garrison, executive director of StarMetro. "Not only will this free service help our existing customers, it will also show new customers how convenient it is to use StarMetro for their holiday shopping."

The Local Business Saturday initiative is a collaborative effort by Mayor Marks and the City of Tallahassee, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, Tallahassee Economic Development Council, Capital City Chamber of Commerce, Locally Owned Tallahassee, Market District Tallahassee and local businesses. This initiative, which has designated every second Saturday of the month in 2011 as a Local Business Saturday, includes a targeted marketing campaign encouraging consumers to shop at locally-owned and locally-operated businesses for cost-saving deals.