SamTrans Helps San Mateo County Reduce Global Warming

With the increasing awareness of the negative impact of global warming on the earth’s atmosphere, many people are looking for ways to make a difference, and the San Mateo County Transit District is doing its part to help as well.

San Mateo County residents don’t have to go further than a SamTrans bus stop. One simple way to make a positive contribution to the environment is to leave your car in the garage and take a SamTrans bus. Not driving for just one day eliminates almost one pound of pollution from the air.

Nationally, public transportation plays a key role in reducing emissions. Public transportation produces about half as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger mile as private cars. Last year, transit riders saved 1.4 billion gallons of gas.

Smelly diesel buses spewing black smoke into the air are a thing of the past. SamTrans has been working with the California Air Resources Board since 1997 to reduce harmful emissions from its buses.

To bring its entire fleet up to the highest possible standards, the district rebuilt the engines on all of its older buses, increasing fuel economy by 40 percent and reducing nitrous oxide emissions by 25 percent. These steps have resulted in an 87 percent reduction in particulate matter since 2002. And, after acquiring new buses, the district’s overall emissions of nitrous oxide will be down nearly 95 percent from 2002 levels.

The transit district also recently began a program to reduce emissions from its paratransit vehicles. By the end of the year, SamTrans’ fleet of small buses will exceed the standards set by the air resources board.

In addition to the positive effects of public transportation, SamTrans is taking steps to reduce pollution in its day-to-day business practices.

Underground fuel storage and supply lines at the district’s maintenance facilities in South San Francisco and San Carlos are built with double hulls to prevent leaks. And, all of the water used to wash the buses is recycled.

The district also has taken steps to conserve energy in its administrative offices. The air conditioning system in its main San Carlos office has been retrofitted with energy efficient fan motors. Older fluorescent lights have been replaced with newer, more efficient tubes. Many rooms are equipped with sensors that turn the lights off when no one is in the room.

SamTrans employees also are encouraged to “walk the walk” by taking public transit themselves. Employees can ride SamTrans buses for free. They also can participate in a program that offers incentives to people who take transit, carpool, bike or walk to work. Some employees are able to work flexible schedules, which reduces the number of drivers on the road during peak commute hours. Others telecommute or work a compressed schedule, working four ten-hour days a week or nine nine-hour days every two weeks.

In addition to its internal efforts to make a positive impact on the environment, SamTrans is a regional leader in the effort to bring transit-oriented development to San Mateo County. One such project is in the works in San Carlos. SamTrans and participating cities want to create communities that offer a mix of housing and shopping centered around public transit hubs.

All of these efforts, from small individual acts such as taking a bus to work one day a week, to larger contributions, like developing new communities that incorporate public transportation, are part of the San Mateo County Transit District’s commitment to be an environmental leader.