Metro Offers 50¢ Ozone Alert! Fare

Metro Offers 50¢ Ozone Alert! Fare;Customers Can Go Green and Spare The Air

(Kansas City, Mo.—May 20, 2008) Beginning June 1, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (ATA) will again offer reduced fares on The Metro when an Ozone Alert! is issued. That low fare of 50¢ will also be available on Johnson County Transit’s The JO and on Unified Government Transit.  By taking the bus instead of driving, customers can help the Kansas City region improve its air quality.
The ATA is issuing an Ozone Alert! brochure that features Metro Monthly Bus Pass coupons for June through September. Metro customers can use the coupons to receive $2 off the price of a regular or express monthly pass; reduced fare bus pass users get a $1 discount with the coupon. The transit Ozone Alert! program ends Sept. 30.

Persons can obtain brochures on Metro buses, at Metro schedule displays or by calling the Regional Call Center at (816) 221-0660.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tightened its limits on ground-level ozone in 2008 in order to protect public health. This means that areas such as Kansas City will likely see an increase in the number of Ozone Alerts! issued over the course of summer.

By riding the bus instead of driving their own vehicles, commuters help reduce the auto emissions that pollute the air. Emissions are a major contributor to ground-level ozone in Kansas City, which is created when pollution from cars and other sources react in sunlight. Heat and sunlight combine to make ozone pollution a frequent problem during the summer months.

“Driving your car less can help all Kansas Citians breathe easier,” ATA Marketing Director Cynthia Baker said. “Whether people ride The Metro all summer, or just on Ozone Alert! days, they can also beat high gas prices.”Ozone’s harmful effects can include eye, nose and throat irritation; chest pain; coughing; nausea and headaches. Ozone can also trigger asthma attacks, permanently damaging a person’s lungs. Many people are sensitive to ozone, especially while being active outdoors. Children, senior citizens, those working or playing outdoors, and respiratory disease sufferers are at a higher risk from ozone exposure.

Ozone Alerts! in Kansas City are as certain as the summer heat. People can be ready to use the reduced fare by planning their transit trips now. Customers can plan their trip using The Metro’s Trip Planner at http://www.kcata.org or with Google Transit’s trip planner at http://www.google.com/transit.

The Regional Call Center offers route and schedule information for all three bus services at (816) 221-0660. The center is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The ozone forecast is available at (913) 383-7557 and www.marc.org; local weather forecasts feature a color-coded SkyCast, with alerts being declared for Red and Orange days.