Commuting Solutions and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) are excited to partner on Zero Fare for Better Air — a collaborative, statewide initiative designed to reduce ground-level ozone by promoting use of public transit.
During the month of August, Colorado’s high ozone season, customers can ride RTD for free! This is your opportunity to explore the numerous benefits of public transportation.
The free-fare program is a direct outcome of Colorado Senate Bill 22-180 and made possible through a partnership with the Colorado Energy Office.
When it comes to air quality, the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation come from day-to-day commutes. Leaving a gas-powered vehicle at home can save up to 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every day.
There are many other benefits to using public transportation. These can be:
- Saving money: Taking the bus or train saves on expenses related to cars including maintenance, parking and tolls.
- Gas savings: With gas prices hovering around $5 a gallon, switching to public transit puts more money back in your budget.
- Traffic reduction: Taking public transit keeps cars off the road, limiting traffic congestions, air pollution and ground-level ozone.
- Time savings: You can catch up on reading, emails and podcasts, or just sit back and relax.
- Stress reduction: Imagine not having the stress and anxiety of constantly battling traffic.
- Improve air quality for all: Since a major cause of climate change is from the greenhouse gas emissions caused by transportation, using public transportation creates 84% less carbon emissions than driving a car. That’s a savings of 63 million metric tons annually. A lot!
Be sure to take advantage of Zero Fares for Better Air in August for a daily commute, but RTD also offers services that connect you to entertainment and sports venues, schools, and popular shopping and restaurant districts.
To learn more about how to hop on board with Zero Fares for Better Air, visit rtd-denver.com/zerofare. And please share how you are using Zero Fares for Better Air by posting your RTD snapshots on social media with the hashtags #zerofare and #betterair.