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CATA Offers Free Bus Rides All Thursday |
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Written by Dogtown Staff
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Wednesday, 06 August 2008 |
 Pulaski County residents will be able to save on gasoline and help central Arkansas’ air quality by taking a free ride on a Central Arkansas Transit Authority bus on Thursday.
The
free bus rides are intended to help reduce the amount of pollutants in
the air by getting more people to take public transportation.
The
free trips, available all day, are made possible through a partnership
between CATA and Ozone Action Days, sponsored by Metroplan, the
regional planning agency. The basic fare is $1.25 per trip on other
days.
CATA provides services in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pulaski
County, Maumelle and Sherwood, which fund $9.2 million of the public
agency’s $13.5 million annual operating budget.
The
free bus ride day last August helped to increase ridership by 37
percent, or nearly 3,000 more riders, according to CATA figures.
Because
of rising gasoline prices this year, CATA already has seen an increase
in average daily ridership to 8,600 passengers per day, an increase of
about 600 riders daily. Some days have reached 9,000 riders, CATA
figures show.
Ridership totals are based on the number of riders, which includes repeat passengers.
Central Arkansas
Ozone Action Days formed in 1997 to increase awareness of ozone air
pollution, reduce the health risks associated with exposure to
ground-level ozone and help keep the region in compliance with the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone.
Metroplan’s Ozone Action Days steering committee annually forecasts
and reports ozone levels in central Arkansas. A colorless gas, ozone is
the main component of smog and can cause health problems, particularly
for those with respiratory problems.
From the Democrat Gazette
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 August 2008 )
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