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Yeah.
At half fare? Oh, yeah. The Ozone Action Partnership has received an $844,000 federal grant to subsidize a fare-reduction program designed to reduce traffic and air pollution over two summers. But not this summer. "The grant is for 2000 and 2001, and that will still help. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if the program started this year?’’ said Rita Zettlemayer, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Environmental Protection. "What would really be nice would be to find a corporation or foundation donor who would step up to cover the subsidy this summer.’’ As it stands, the fare reduction program will be activated after the millennium, on summer days from mid-May through the end of September, when ground level ozone, the major component of unhealthy smog, is at its worst. Participating are the transit authorities of Allegheny, Beaver, Indiana, Westmoreland and Butler counties, the Mid-County Transit Authority, GG&C Bus Co. and the Mid-Mon Valley Transit Authority. The grant will provide reimbursement to the transit companies for lost fares, as well as money for marketing, administration and program evaluation. "All are on board,’’ Zettlemayer said, "but we have eight transit companies that all have different ways of getting people onto their buses. It will be a big challenge to coordinate, and we’re just starting.’’ One of the issues raised at a meeting of transit leaders earlier this month was the timeliness of ozone action day announcements. That decision is usually made on the basis of weather reports the night before. "There were some questions,’’ Zettlemayer said, for example, "if overnight notification is enough for Joe Public to make plans to take the bus." Last summer, there were 16 ozone action days -- days when the ozone level threatened to exceed federal health standards. On those days, the partnership of government agencies, businesses and environmental groups asked industries and individuals to voluntarily reduce smog-producing activities such as lawn mowing, driving, outdoor grilling and topping off gasoline tanks. But Zettlemayer said there could be more than twice as many ozone action days this summer because they would be based on more stringent federal standards. "The federal government looked at the old ozone standard and saw people were still experiencing health problems, and lowered the bar,’’ she said. "It’s going to be very difficult for this region to meet it, and that will mean more action days.’’ The fare-reduction program is not a new idea. It has worked in many metropolitan areas, including Tulsa, Okla., and Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, the Southwest Regional Transit Authority has operated a variety of reduced-fare programs since 1994. That year it reduced fares from mid-July through Labor Day. In 1995, it offered additional cuts on "Smog Alert Days." In 1996 and 1997, it used federal grants totaling $1.3 million to fund a "Summer Clean Air Fare’’ available every day from June 1 through Labor Day. The program has been effective in illustrating the impact of personal transportation choices on ozone pollution. A study by the Ohio Department of Transportation found that the reduced-fare programs had had a significant effect on pollution emissions since 1994 by reducing the number of vehicles on the road. There were 1 million fewer car trips and 4 million fewer vehicle miles traveled. "We’re just getting our feet wet on this program and how to make it happen,’’ said Robert Orchowski, chairman of the Ozone Action Partnership and environmental director for Duquesne Light Co. "We hope we can stretch the money a little farther, but we’re a little bigger than Cincinnati and have more transit companies. It’s a big job to put it all together and make it happen.’’
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