According to TransitCenter, Inc., a nonprofit that promotes mass transit, the Emergency Economic Recovery Act signed into law by President Obama on February 17 provides up to $1,000 a year in tax savings for working Americans who commute by transit.    The law raises the amount of pretax income from $120 per month to $230 per month, and follows a seven-year effort by TransitCenter to advance such legislation. Workers enrolled in employer-sponsored commuter benefits programs can use the extra income to pay for mass transit.   "Rocked by the recession, working Americans have been anxious for immediate and practical relief," says Larry Filler, president and CEO of TransitCenter. "This law nearly doubles the savings employees can enjoy by using mass transit and sets us on a path to a future that is both economically and environmentally sustainable."

Learn how to take advantage of this benefit with Citbus here

GOING GREEN - LUBBOCK CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The facts are clear Public transportation is reducing energy consumption and harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gas emissions that damage theenvironment. Traveling by public transportation uses less energy and produces less pollution than comparable travel in private vehicles. To make progress in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and impacting climate change, public transportation must be part of the solution.

The Private Vehicle is the largest contributor to a household’s
Carbon Footprint—Using Public Transportation
Reduces Household Carbon Emissions.

By reducing the growth in vehicle miles of travel,easing congestion and supporting more efficient land use patterns, public transportation can reduce harmful CO2 emissions by 37 million metric tons annually. These savings represent the beginning of public transportation’s potential contribution to national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy conservation.

Public transportation use reduces congestion. Public transportation serves some of the most congested travel corridors and regions in the country. Increased use of public transportation in these areas eases congestion; as a result, automobiles traveling in these same corridors achieve greater fuel efficiency.

Commuting by public transportation—one of the
most significant actions to reduce household
carbon emissions

By taking existing public transportation instead of driving a car, a
single person saves 4,800 pounds of CO2 per year. Source: Public
Transportation’s Contribution to U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Average Annual Household Savings from
Using Public Transportation

By taking public transportation instead of driving a car, a two-worker
household can save $6,251 annually. Source: Public Transportation and Petroleum Savings Report.

Public transportation is essential to
energy efficient land use patterns

Efficient land use produces results far beyond the immediate benefit of increased use of public transportation. It has the potential to significantly change the way we live and travel, reducing our individual carbon footprints while preserving and enhancing our mobility.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 37 million metric tons annually. saves fuel, reduces an individual’s carbon footprint, and reduces congestion. provides an immediate option individuals can take to reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Use by a solo commuter switching his/her commute from a private vehicle can reduce CO2 emissions by 20 pounds per day—more than 4,800 pounds in a year. Use saves the U.S. the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually—more than 11 million gallons of gasoline per day. Provides an affordable alternative to driving. Households that use public transportation save an average of $6,251 every year. Ridership has increased 30% since 1995, with more than 10 billion trips taken annually. Is a national priority that should be specifically targeted by climate change and energy legislation. We all have a stake in expanding public transportation use.

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Public Transportation Increasing Ridership:

In 2009, Americans took 10.2 billion trips on public transportation.

35 million times each weekday, people board public transportation.

Since 1995, public transportation ridership has increased 31 percent.

Public Transportation Reduces Greenhouse Gases and Conserves Energy:

The "leverage effect" of public transportation reduces the nation's carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually - equivalent to the electricity used by 4.9 million households.

To achieve similar reduction in carbon emissions, every household in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles combined would have to completely stop using electricity.

People living in households within one-quarter mile of rail or one-tenth mile from a bus stop drive approximately 4,400 fewer miles annually compared to persons in similar households with no access to public transit.

This equates to an individual household reduction of 223 gallons of gasoline a year.

Public Transportation Reduces Gasoline Consumption:

The "leverage effect" of public transportation, supporting transportation efficient land use patterns, saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline - more than three times the amount of gasoline refined from the oil we import from Kuwait.

Public transportation use saves the equivalent of 900,000 automobile fill-ups every day.

The typical public transit rider consumes on average one half of the oil consumed by an automobile rider.