Climate Change

Clearing the Air: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

Bay Area residents are enjoying a breath of fresher air, thanks to MTC’s efforts to protect and improve the region’s air quality. With MTC funding and support, the region’s transit operators have taken major steps to reduce diesel bus pollution. In a nation-leading demonstration project, AC Transit in 2006 rolled out three zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell buses on East Bay streets. At the same time, a dozen local transit operators have been retrofitting their diesel bus fleets with state-of-the-art exhaust filters. But upgrading equipment can only go so far; the next frontier is changing commuter habits. Toward that end, MTC has ramped up efforts to lure drivers out of their cars on smoggy days by offering free transit rides on Spare the Air days. Ridership jumped 15 percent in the summer of 2006 in response. As 2006 rolled into 2007, MTC and its regional partners also began to confront the daunting challenge of global climate change.

Confronting Climate Change

Former Vice President Al Gore delivered his now-famous message on the threat of global warming in person at a November 2006 Climate Protection Summit organized by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and co-sponsored by MTC. In response, MTC has joined with partner agencies to brainstorm on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources. The effort kicked off with a pair of workshops for the public and stakeholders in February 2007, with a draft action plan issued in May 2007 (PDF). The regional climate change initiative is coordinated by the Joint Policy Committee, consisting of MTC, the Air District, the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

• Climate Change Workshop, February 16, 2007
  • Presentation: Climate Change and the Bay Area (PDF 4.5 MB)
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• Climate Change Workshop, February 23, 2007
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Filters Remove Tons of Soot from Air

At a September 2006 event, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom conducted a successful “white-handkerchief test” on the exhaust pipe of a diesel bus newly outfitted with a high-tech filter that captures harmful emissions. With MTC covering most of the approximate $30 million cost to install the filters, the region’s public transit fleet of diesel buses will emit 50 fewer tons of particulate matter and nearly 450 fewer tons of nitrogen oxides per year.

• See September/October 2006 Transactions story:
  State-of-the-Art Bus Filters Remove Tons of Soot From Bay Area Air

Taking the Hy (as in Hydrogen) Road

With support from MTC, AC Transit is leading Bay Area public transit into a hydrogen fuel-cell future where buses emit only pure steam and the only sound is the quiet hum of electric motors. In addition to developing fuel-cell buses, AC Transit and its public and private partners in the HyRoad Project have built two hydrogen energy stations, with a third unit in the works. More fuel-cell buses are in the region’s future, thanks to an expanded demonstration involving AC Transit and four other operators: Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans, San Francisco Muni and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

Spare the Air and Skip the Fare

“No fare! Thanks for sparing the air.” That was the message that greeted Bay Area transit riders during six smog-alert days in 2006. The all-day, free-ride promotion proved so popular during three Spare the Air days in June that MTC and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District acted quickly to extend the program for three additional smoggy days in July, with MTC doubling its financial commitment to more than $13 million. The result: On each free-ride day, some 225,000 additional riders hopped aboard buses, trains and ferries, while vehicle trips were reduced by nearly 530,000. The California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance honored the innovative program and its sponsors with the prestigious “Edmund G. ‘Pat’ Brown Award” for 2006.

Stay tuned for more free rides during the 2007 smog season!