San Francisco based animation and publishing giant will help end the August program with thousands of gifts for children

Oakland, CA, August 25, 2006 — Time flies when you’re having fun: BART’s Kids Ride Free Saturdays program ends tomorrow, Saturday, August 26 but it will do so with a whirlwind of excitement. Thousands of children will scurry to get one of 10,000 gift packs provided by program sponsor VIZ Media at Powell St. Station Saturday.

The gift packs will include manga (graphic novels), DVDs and posters featuring some of the most popular characters in the VIZ Media library.  VIZ Media is the San Francisco-based publishing, licensing and animation company that has brought the well loved POKéMON and many other popular series, such as ZATCH BELL!, NARUTO,  INUYASHA and more to the United States.

For the month of August, children age twelve and under have been able to ride BART for free on Saturdays. Here’s how it works: an adult must accompany the children and there is a maximum of two children riding free per fare-paying adult. The children show their special Kids Ride Free flash pass to the Station Agent and enter and exit through the swing gates. The Kids Ride Free flash passes are available at all BART stations and at most Safeway stores.

“’The Kids Ride Free Saturdays’ have not only given Bay Area families opportunities to go on inexpensive outings without all the hassles of car travel, the promotion has offered some deep discounts at kid-friendly events at the Oakland Coliseum,” said BART Board Director Tom Blalock. “Children not only rode to the Coliseum for free, they got five dollars off their $15 A’s ticket one Saturday and the same deal to see the circus the next!”

The BART Kids Ride Free Saturdays program also offers discounts at the California Academy of Sciences, including tomorrow.

FINAL KIDS RIDE FREE SATURDAY FOR ‘06

What: VIZ Media, the primary sponsor for BART's Kids Ride Free program, is giving away 10,000 Kids Packs filled with anime, manga, and posters!

Included in the Kids Packs are: VIZ Media All Ages sampler, VIZ Media exclusive postersand information on how to enter the VIZ Media/ Ride BART to Tokyo Sweepstakes!

When: 10 a.m, Saturday, August 26, 2006.

Where:Powell Street BART Station, 5th & Market, San Francisco.

Visuals: Lots of smiling faces as kids receive gift packs stuffed with goodies featuring their favorite manga (graphic novels).

Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546–7073; Fax (415) 546–7086; and web site at www.viz.com.

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