To mark California Clean Air Day on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Sacramento Regional Transit is offering free rides on its light rail trains and fixed-route buses.
To participate, riders can print or screenshot the “Ride Transit” flyer on the SacRT website and show it to SacRT staff or the vehicle driver upon boarding. For a group traveling together, only one flyer is needed.
SacRT is offering the free rides in partnership with the Coalition for Clean Air, a California-based organization that advocates for pollution-cutting measures across the state.
Each year, the organization urges Californians to take the Clean Air Day pledge. Via the pledge, participants commit themselves to pollution-reducing actions, such as going car-free for the day, or to longer-term efforts such as installing solar panels. As of Monday, Oct. 5, the Coalition for Clean Air’s online Pledge Tracker recorded 2,312 Californians as having taken the pledge.
According to the SacRT website, emissions from single-occupancy vehicles are the largest source of air pollution in the state. Not only that, but fewer cars on the road can reduce traffic overall. “California Clean Air Day is a great opportunity to leave the car at home and try transit,” said SacRT general manager and CEO Henry Li in a Monday release. “By choosing bus or light rail, even for one trip, our riders are helping reduce congestion and emissions while discovering another way to get around the Sacramento region.”
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
Anne Ewbank is a service journalist and food reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Previously, she worked as a writer and editor for the New York-based travel website Atlas Obscura, where she covered food and culture. A California native, she is a graduate of Occidental College and Yale University.