TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

June/July 2005

Free Morning Commutes on “Spare the Air” Days This Summer

What’s a present without wrapping? So when MTC and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced a gift to commuters in the form of free transit rides on smoggy days this summer and fall, they packaged their message appropriately. A line of buses gaily wrapped from nose to tail with blue skies and puffy clouds formed the backdrop at the late-May press conference where MTC and the Air District unveiled an expanded free-ride program as part of the annual “Spare the Air” campaign.

This year, MTC and the Air District are partnering with 21 transit operators across the nine Bay Area counties to offer free morning rides during the first five weekday “Spare the Air” days in 2005. Passengers can take advantage of the free rides if they board a transit vehicle or enter a station between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. on the designated days. The promotion started June 1, 2005, and ends on October 14, 2005, the close of
the annual smog season. MTC is providing $3.4 million from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program to subsidize the free rides.

Last year, MTC partnered with BART to offer free morning rides on the regional rail system on the first five “Spare the Air” days. The pilot promotion drew 40,000 extra riders to BART over a two-day smog alert, and helped to avert violations of the federal ozone standard. Last year’s campaign was recognized in May 2005 with a Clean Air Award for Leadership in Air Quality Public Policy from the American Lung Associations of the Bay Area.
— John Goodwin & Brenda Kahn

Receive “Spare the Air” alerts by registering at www.sparetheair.org. Learn more about the “Free Morning Commute” promotion or plan your trip by visiting www.511.org.

Buses

Gaily wrapped buses herald the “Free Morning Commute” promotion. (Photo: Kit Morris)

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