Go Green With Pace

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Public transportation is environmentally sound transportation

The problems are evident

Everyday millions of people sit in traffic, alone in their cars, as they commute to work, school and other destinations around Chicagoland. The nation is dependent on foreign oil, the environment is polluted with carbon emissions, and road congestion robs drivers of hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars every year.

But there is a solution

Imagine fewer cars on the road. Imagine no need for Ozone Action Days. Imagine sitting back and relaxing during your daily commute, letting someone else take the wheel while you get to and from work, school or other activities. All of this is possible with public transportation. Reducing traffic and improving the quality of our community's environment are some of Pace's top priorities. By providing quality public transportation options, Pace can help residents of Northeastern Illinois reduce their carbon footprint, protect the environment for present and future generations, and conserve natural resources. In fact, Pace's family of transit services already removes more than 100,000 cars from our roadways every day.

Public transportation households save an average of $6,251 every year, even more as the price of fuel rises. (1) The annual fuel savings locally is over $11,000 given local cost adjustments versus the national average.

Calculate how much you can save by using public transportation at PaceRideShare.com!

Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint?

Switch from a SOV (Single Occupancy Vehicle) to existing public transportation for a 20-mile round trip and reduce your annual CO2 emissions by 4,800 pounds per year. (2)

Our Ad Campaign

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Pace is a part of the solution

Pace follows federal guidelines relating to clean diesel; we use ultra low sulfur fuels that meet all federal requirements.
Federal guidelines for the maintenance of different engine types to maximize productivity and minimize pollution are also followed.
Smoking is banned on buses and all Pace vehicles. Paces No Smoking policy on buses dates back to the mid 80's.
Highly skilled staff members perform 3,000 mile preventive maintenance, including frequent changing of filters.
Pace recycles tires. Recycled tires can be used for playground flooring, tire retreading and even for tire derived fuel. Find out more at http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/tires/faq.htm.
Administrative offices recycle paper and promote electronic communications, using fewer natural resources and minimizing waste associated the production and transportation of paper.
When staff members can not use public transportation on Pace business, they use fuel-efficient fleet cars.
Pace provides its employees with $75/month incentive to use a vanpool. Learn how you can join a carpool or vanpool at Pace RideShare web site.
Pace has begun using transit signal priority which saves fuel potentially wasted by buses at a red light.
Our shelter washing vendor collects soapy water runoff at each shelter location instead of leaving the soapy water to be absorbed into the ground.
Schedules and most materials are printed in-house to reduce shipping costs and emissions.
Pace purchases 30-foot E-Z Rider II buses from El Dorado National. These new fleet additions have transmissions and hydraulic systems which utilize synthetic fluids that extend drain intervals (every 75,000 miles instead of 12,000) for reduced environmental impact.
Pace has ten hybrid paratransit vehicles on order and will soon order two hybrid fixed route buses to be used in Highland Park.

Facts & Figures provided by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

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 a 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.

APTA Visit APTA's website!

APTA's Carbon Savings Calculator

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Web Site

Credits

1) "Public Transportation and Petroleum Savings in the U.S.: Reducing Dependence on Oil," ICF International, January 2007.

2) "Public Transportation's Contribution to U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction," Science Applications International Corporation, September 2007.