ST. LOUIS – Public transit users are in for a sweet surprise as Citizens for Modern Transit partnered with surrounding transportation systems to kick off the spring season.

Willy Wonka had people scouring for golden tickets but come Monday, people in the bi-state region will want to start looking for big golden eggs at any transit center in St. Louis and Illinois.

Metro transit, the St. Clair County Transit District, UMSL, AARP in St. Louis, the Bureau of Transit Police, and Metro Transit Public Safety are having a fun Easter egg hunt to kick off spring and encourage people to utilize public transportation. Approximately 100 massive golden eggs and flat paper eggs will be hidden in plain sight for riders to find.

They’ll have prizes in or attached to them like transit passes, tickets, candy, and swag or apparel from the mentioned partners.

Kim Cella, executive director for Citizens for Modern Transit, wants people to know it’s safe to come back on board.

“It’s just a really fun way to talk about public transit and the benefits of public transit in the St. Louis community,” she said. “Really, just add a little bit of fun back into the conversation, surprise riders that are currently using the system, and say to others, ‘Hey, why don’t you give it a try?’”

Clues will be posted on their social media pages and riders who find any of the eggs and post a selfie of themselves on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtags found on the eggs will put enter themselves in a drawing to win a $100 gift card.