Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. Commuters are encouraged to stay informed about the air we breathe by signing up to receive color-coded, daily air quality forecasts during the summer months and show they care about clean air by taking transit, carpooling, vanpooling, walking, biking or telecommuting as often as they can. This will help reduce auto emissions and improve air quality conditions, while helping individuals save on gasoline and maintenance costs associated with personal vehicle usage.
St. Louis offers a wide array of transportation options on both sides of the Mississippi River. Check out the below to learn more about these modes and associated schedules, pricing, programs, ride matching services, incentives and more. Then, move into action by modifying commuting behaviors.
MetroLink is the light rail system operated by Metro Transit spanning 46 miles and serving 38 stations in the bi-state area. The alignment features both a Red Line, which runs from St. Louis Lambert International Airport’s Terminal #1 MetroLink Station to the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center, and a Blue Line, which runs from the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 Transit Center to the Fairview Heights Transit Center. It offers convenient access to many of the region’s cultural and entertainment hot spots, as well as places of employment, education institutions, and healthcare.
Visit metrostlouis.org or click the following links to learn more about schedules, fare details and trip planning via the online Trip Planner or the official trip-planning app Transit. Citizens for Modern Transit offers the Try & Ride and Guaranteed Ride Home programs to assist those who are new to the region’s public transit system. The Gateway Go Youth Transit Program offers free transit access to those 13-25 years of age who are a resident of the City of St. Louis and meet all the eligibility requirements.
The expansive bus systems throughout the bi-state St. Louis Metropolitan region offer access to many of the region’s cultural and entertainment hot spots, as well as places of employment.
Metro Transit operates 24 battery electric buses and nearly 400 clean-burning diesel buses that serve 59 MetroBus routes in eastern Missouri and St. Clair County Illinois, where it provides service for St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD). Metro’s Call-A-Ride paratransit service is available, with advance reservations, to both the general public and to persons whose disabilities prevent them from using the accessible, fixed-route transit services (MetroBus and MetroLink). SCCTD’s ATS paratransit service is available in Southwestern Illinois. SCCTD also offers micro-transit service in Belleville, East St. Louis, Fairmont City and Brooklyn, Ill., via the SCCTD Flyer and in Lebanon and Mascoutah via SCCTD VanGo.
Visit metrostlouis.org or click the following links to learn more about schedules, fare details and trip planning via the online Trip Planner or the official trip-planning app Transit. Citizens for Modern Transit offers the Try & Ride and Guaranteed Ride Home programs to assist those who are new to the region’s public transit system. The Gateway Go Youth Transit Program offers free transit access to those 13-25 years of age who area a resident of the City of St. Louis and meet all the eligibility requirements.
Madison County Transit (MCT) provides public mass transportation within Madison County, Illinois. MCT serves numerous public bus routes as well as paratransit service meeting ADA requirements for the elderly and disabled. If you need help finding a route or time, please visit mct.org, call 618-797-INFO (4636), or send an email to [email protected]. MCT also offers a direct, limited stop express commuter service from Madison County IL to downtown St. Louis. With affordable monthly passes, a free Guaranteed Ride Home and helpful drivers, the MCT Express service is a convenient way to get to work.
RideFinders is the free, St. Louis regional commuter carpool and vanpool program. By using the organization’s easy online ride-matching service, RideFinders connects St. Louis-area workers looking to share the ride, the driving and the cost of a smart commute. Choosing a sustainable commute reduces greenhouse gas emissions and reduces your carbon footprint. Riders can carpool in their own vehicles or vanpool if 5 or more ride together. RideFinders provides the van, pays for gas, maintenance and insurance for a low monthly cost. Complete your profile and register for free a rideshare group at RideFinders.org or by calling 314-621-7433. Each member is eligible for the annual Four Free Guaranteed Rides Home using Taxi, Uber or Lyft reimbursement.
Commute with Enterprise offers a choice to those looking to share a ride with their neighboring coworkers in a SUV, crossover or van. Everyone splits the costs and driving duties, saving you valuable time and money while doing the right thing for your community and the environment. As part of the Enterprise family, Commute with Enterprise prioritizes local and national needs by reducing traffic congestion, parking real estate and carbon emissions, while providing commuters with a smarter, better way to get to work. Both commuters and businesses can count on dependable transportation solutions whenever needed.
The power of telecommuting to reduce auto emissions was clear across the country and around the world as stay-at-home orders last year led to much lighter traffic and cleaner air in countless locations. With traffic ramping back up in the region, so does the potential for increased auto emissions that contribute to ozone formation. For those that can work from home, continuing to telecommute full-time or at least occasionally is encouraged.
For individuals who live close to work, choosing to walk or bike, instead of idling in rush hour traffic, helps take cars off area roads and reduces the amount of ozone-forming emissions generated. Walking and biking can also serve as eco-friendly alternatives to run errands and get around town when weather conditions are favorable to help keep air quality in healthy ranges. Walking and biking can also be easily paired with transit. All Metro Transit and MCT buses are equipped with bike racks and individuals can bring their bikes on MetroLink or park it at one of the stations’ bike racks.
Citizens for Modern Transit offers the Ten Toe Express® program to help area older adults learn how to integrate walking and transit to get where they need to go.
The Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT’s) Gateway Guide program aims to better manage the growing amount of traffic on state-maintained roadways. The Gateway Guide team works around the clock and uses many state-of-the-art devices that, when combined, serve as powerful tools to relieve traffic congestion and improve safety. The program uses real-time traffic information to help reduce traffic delays caused by incidents, work zones and the rising number of vehicles on the highways. By monitoring the roadways, the team can direct the appropriate emergency response forces to those incidents – including departmental emergency operations to clear minor incidents or to direct traffic around major ones. The team also provides this information in several formats for drivers – primarily by web, telephone or overhead message signs. Since idling vehicles and their related emissions are one of the leading sources of air pollution, having better information about possible congested areas will help reduce air pollution and positively impact the region’s air quality.
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