Friday July 16 & Saturday July 17 Spare the Air Days 07.15.10 1:54 pm

Friday July 16 and Saturday July 17, 2010 have been designated by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District as “Spare the Air” days.  Rides on YOLOBUS and Unitrans fixed route services will be provided at no charge to riders on both of those days because of this “Spare the Air Day” designation. Also, riders of YOLOBUS paratransit services will not be charged a fare on those days, as well.  Unitrans, which serves the City of Davis, surrounding area, and U.C. Davis campus, will offer free rides on Spare the Air days as well.  This free-ride offer does not apply to Sacramento Regional Transit buses or light rail.

This summer, when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to exceed “150” for ozone levels, the air district sends out announcements at least 24 hours in advance.

Additionally, because the temperature forecast is significant for Friday and Saturday, both YOLOBUS and Unitrans are advising passengers to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and  staying indoors as long as possible (until their buses arrive), particularly in the afternoon.   

How can a rider find out if their bus is on time without being out there in the heat of the day?  YOLOBUS riders can now get real time information on where their bus is simply by going to the Yolobus.com web site and clicking  “automatic vehicle location system”, or going to http://avl.yctd.org/.  YOLOBUS is the first public bus system in the Sacramento area to offer system-wide real-time bus location information.  In the coming months, Unitrans and Elk Grove will be implementing real time bus location systems, as well.

This free-ride incentive program on YOLOBUS is funded by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District. 

Five-day forecasts for ozone are available at  www.sparetheair.com and Spare the Air days are determined a day in advance which helps people plan to use alternative transportation, including bus, carpooling, walking and bicycling. Residents can also receive personal notification through Air Alert, a free service available by signing up at www.myairalert.net.  On declared “Spare the Air” days anyone can ride YOLOBUS for free.

Bus schedules are available by contacting YOLOBUS at 530-666-2877 or www.yolobus.com, as well as UNITRANS at 530-752-2877 or www.Unitrans.com.