A City in Romania Gives Free Bus Rides to Passengers Who Will Read Books While Commuting

A young writer from Cluj, Romania thought of a brilliant way to encourage more people to read books.

Victor Miron approached his city’s mayor Emil Boc and tried to persuade to offer free ride to passengers who read books while commuting. Although it took him more than a year to finally get a go signal from Boc, the campaign which ran from June 4 to June 7 was a huge success.

“I believe that it’s better to promote reading by rewarding those who read, instead of criticising the ones who don’t,” Miron told Bored Panda.

Aside from Miron’s “travelled by book” campaign, he and his friends made a way for people who have a book on their profile pictures on Facebook to get discounts in different establishments including dental clinics, hair salons, and of course, book stores.

In the future, Miron hopes to convince Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to “Book-face his Face-book profile”.

“To encourage more people to read on public transportation, I proposed to our mayor Emil Boc that the city not charge passengers who read books”

“Long story short, between the 4th and 7th of June 2015 everyone who “travelled by book” in Cluj-Napoca rode free of charge.”

“I believe that it’s better to promote reading by rewarding those who read, instead of criticising the ones who don’t.”

“I also do other campaigns with my friends to promote reading, for instance, Bookface. People who have a book on their Facebook profile picture receive discounts in all sorts of places, from book stores to hair salons and even in dental practices.”

“Our biggest challenge now is to persuade Mark Zuckerberg to Book-face his Face-book profile.”

In a story published by BuzzFeed, there are numerous ways reading a book improves your life. Believe it or not, it has positive effects on your emotional, psychological, and mental state of mind. Here are some of the benefits of reading books.

1. It helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
2. It actually makes you smarter.
3. It makes you more likely to engage in cultural and civic activities.
4. It reduces your stress and puts you in a better mood.
5. It can be therapeutic.
6. It enhances your memory.
7. It helps you boost your analytical thinking.
8. It can make you seem sexier.

Source: Bored Panda, BuzzFeed