Thumbs up: SMART’s ‘concessionistas’

Take a look inside the passing train the next time you find yourself waiting at a SMART crossing. The trains are beginning to fill up as SMART continues its free preview rides between Santa Rosa and San Rafael, with the potential that regular service will begin later this month. And, as Staff Writer Derek Moore reported, concession services on the North Bay’s new rail transit system are being provided by Becoming Independent, a nonprofit organization that provides support services as well as employment opportunities for about 1,000 developmentally disabled people in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.

Money earned from snacks and drinks sold by the “concessionistas” will help offset reductions in state aid for Becoming Independent. SMART isn’t sharing in the revenue or charging rent for the concession space on its trains, at least for the first year. Raise a thumb - or a glass of local wine purchased on the train- to this shared effort to benefit residents of Sonoma and Marin counties.