The San Mateo County Transit District is encouraging people to make every day Earth Day by leaving the car in the garage and taking transit to work, school or other fun destinations. An individual switching to public transit can reduce his or her daily carbon emissions by 20 pounds, according to the American Public Transportation Association. For Peninsula residents, SamTrans and Caltrain are the way to “go green.”

To reduce its carbon footprint, SamTrans rebuilt the engines on all of its older buses, increasing fuel economy by 40 percent and reducing nitrous oxide emissions by 25 percent. These steps have resulted in an 87 percent reduction in particulate matter since 2002. The district is in the process of acquiring new buses that will reduce the overall emissions of nitrous oxide nearly 95 percent from 2002 levels.

Caltrain riders already understand that taking transit is good for the environment. According to a rider survey conducted last fall, a quarter of those surveyed said that they take the train to help the environment, which jumped from just 10 percent in 2003 when the last comprehensive survey was conducted.

Last year, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, in partnership with Caltrans, introduced another tool in the fight against global warming. Two changeable message signs, strategically located near the Redwood City and Millbrae Caltrain stations, give drivers real drive-time information. The signs show how long it will take, in current traffic conditions, to drive to San Francisco as compared to taking the train.

Commuters can use the information to decide whether to take the train or continue on the freeway. Even drivers who may not be able to make a spontaneous decision to change their travel plans will see that Caltrain is a viable option for future trips.

And, there is no need to guess at how much money your commute costs. “Commute calculators” on the SamTrans and Caltrain Web sites put the cost of driving side by side with the cost of taking transit, allowing users to figure the cost of their individual commute.

Commuters enter a check list of data: the number of miles driven each day, commute days per month, parking fees, the current price of gas, average miles per gallon and toll bridge costs, if any. The average vehicle cost per mile is included in the calculation.

The transit district also is taking steps internally to make a positive impact on reducing global warming. After learning that Americans use 29 billion water bottles a year, the District launched a campaign to encourage employees to switch to reusable water bottles. Reusable grocery bags decorated with the agency’s logos have become popular give-aways at business outreach events.

Public transportation reduces America’s carbon footprint by 37 million metric tons a year. Make this the year that you make a difference by joining the more than 25 million annual Caltrain and SamTrans riders.

04/24/08 - crd
Media Contact: Christine Dunn, 650-508-7927