David Riley

@rilzd

Reporters and politicians have toured the newly-finished Downtown Transit Center . Soon it will be your turn.

Regional Transit Service, or RTS, will hold six open houses leading up to the facility's opening on Nov. 28. The public can take a look around, learn how the center works and find out about sweeping route and schedule changes that will go into effect on opening day.

The open houses will be held on these dates:

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2-4 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 14, 9-11 a.m.

Saturday, Nov. 15, noon-4 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 17, 4-6 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Transit Center spans a block of Mortimer Street, a block north of Main Street between St. Paul Street and North Clinton Avenue. Visitors should use the North Clinton entrance for the open houses. The events will include giveaways, activities for children and chances to win a month-long ride pass, RTS said.

The $50 million facility is RTS' flagship project, nearly two decades in the making, and it will significantly change what it's like to ride a bus through the city. Long lines of buses will move off downtown streets and indoors. Most rides will begin and end at the terminal and many routes will be renumbered and redesigned. Customers who ride cross-town routes also will have to get off at the transit center and transfer to another bus to reach their destination.

RTS is hoping all these changes will make public transit less confusing and more attractive to its current customers and draw new ones, too.

Under a promotion from RTS, passengers can ride for free if they board at the terminal between Nov. 28 and New Year's Eve.

DRILEY@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/rilzd