Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2009
COMMUTERS CAN CELEBRATE EARTH DAY EVERY DAY ABOARD METRO TRANSIT
MINNEAPOLIS – (April 7) –Riding Metro Transit is one of the most helpful things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Cars alone account for nearly half of household emissions created by a typical two-car American family, the study finds, and says that switching to public transportation has a greater environmental impact than using compact fluorescent bulbs or adding insulation to an attic.1
As the world marks the 39th annual Earth Day on Wednesday, Twin Cities residents can shrink their carbon footprint by riding public transportation – a Metro Transit bus or light-rail train – as little as one day a week.
To further demonstrate the environmental sensibility of transit over driving, Metro Transit will purchase enough wind power from Xcel Energy to power the Hiawatha light-rail line on May 2 and 3. The wind power purchase will be made in conjunction with the Living Green Expo, of which Metro Transit is a presenting sponsor.
Free-ride transit passes are available for travel to and from the Living Green Expo at the State Fairgrounds. The passes are valid for rides from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 2 and 3. They can be downloaded at livinggreen.org.
In keeping with the spirit of Earth Day, Metro Transit also is encouraging commuters to break out of their normal routine by taking the Commuter Challenge. Now through June 30, participants can sign up at dontlosethechallenge.com and pledge to try riding the bus or train, carpooling or vanpooling, bicycling or walking – anything but driving alone to work. Through the site, they can track the trips they take and challenge friends and co-workers to friendly competition to get out of their cars more often.
“Metro Transit’s commitment to the environment is strong every day, not just on Earth Day,” said General Manager Brian Lamb. “Our Go Greener initiative, launched in 2007, drives us to continually find ways to become more environmentally efficient – both with our buses and trains and in our facilities.”
The agency currently has 67 hybrid-electric buses, which have 25 percent better fuel efficiency and produce 90 percent fewer emissions than the buses they replace. Improved tire design is expected to increase fuel economy by at least four percent, which translates into a savings of more than 300,000 gallons of fuel annually for a fleet of nearly 900 buses.
Metro Transit’s fleet replacement plan calls for the purchase of more hybrids in coming years along with ordering buses powered by the latest clean-diesel technology. These next-generation buses promise an increase of up to five percent in fuel mileage in addition to meeting a federal mandate that they release next to zero particulate emissions.
Energy savings are also a priority at the facilities where buses are stored and maintained. This year, Metro Transit began installing digital control mechanisms that reduce electricity consumption and limit carbon emissions. “When installation is complete, we expect to lower our electricity use by 30 percent – a savings of $1.1 million annually. That, too, represents a reduction in carbon emissions,” Lamb said.
Details about Metro Transit’s Go Greener environmental initiative are available at metrotransit.org/gogreener.
Metro Transit is a service of the Metropolitan Council. Customers boarded its buses and trains nearly 82 million times in 2008, the highest annual ridership in 27 years.
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(Editors: For information call Bob Gibbons, director of customer services, 612-349-7509 or via e-mail at robert.gibbons@metc.state.mn.us)
1 US Department of Transportation
Public Transportation's Role in Responding to Climate Change, 2009 www.fta.dot.gov/planning/planning_environment_9051.html
