RTA Encourages Commuters to Celebrate Earth Day_Monday

April 20, 2015

Learn the 25 ways transit helps the region

CHICAGO – The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), along with the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace, are celebrating Earth Day 2015 by encouraging regular transit riders and those who may not use the system’s public transportation system often to ride the system and celebrate its benefits to our planet.

“We are encouraging riders who traditionally use the transit system to continue to do so this week and we’re extending an invitation to new riders to make this week the week they ‘get on board’ and enjoy the many environmental, economic and health benefits of using our world-class transit system,” said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden.

While Earth Day is celebrated on Wednesday, April 22, beginning Monday, April 20, the RTA will share 25 ways that transit helps the region—five each day of the week. The agency will focus on transit’s environmental benefits on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The RTA encourages everyone to share this information on social media pages and remind friends and family about the many benefits of transit to our region.

The first five benefits of our region’s transit system are:

Improves your Quality of Life

• Metra has purchased 160 new Electric District Highliners, providing accessible bathrooms and electrical outlets to over 40,000 daily commuters.
• Metra invests millions of dollars each year to improve the safety, security and comfort of stations across the region.
• All CTA and Pace buses are accessible for people with disabilities, improving their mobility.
• Pace provides Wi-Fi on its new express buses, allowing customers to have a more productive commute.
• CTA has installed more than 23,000 security cameras across its bus and rail system.

Earth Day is one of the largest events in the world when people of all ages and backgrounds pledge to improve and protect the environment. The first Earth Day, celebrated nearly 45 years ago, on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed.

Please visit the agencies’ social media pages listed below to “like,” “share” and “tweet” about the 25 ways transit helps our region.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoRTA

https://www.facebook.com/thecta

https://www.facebook.com/PaceBus

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RTA_Chicago

https://twitter.com/cta

https://twitter.com/metraceo

https://twitter.com/PaceSuburbanBus

Learn more about the transit’s system plan for improving sustainability by reading the Chicago Regional Green Transit Plan at www.RTAChicago.org. CTA’s Going Green site at www.transitchicago.com. Learn more about Pace’s “Go Green with Pace” by visiting www.pacebus.com. Visit www.gettingamericatowork.com/standil to see the full list of 25 ways Transit Helps the Region.

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About the RTA

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is the only transit agency charged with regional financial oversight, funding, and transit planning for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace bus and paratransit.    The RTA region serves two million riders each weekday in six counties with 7,200 transit route miles throughout Northeastern Illinois.  The Agency also provides customer services including on-line and telephone travel planning assistance and travel training for seniors and people with disabilities.  For more information, visit www.RTAchicago.org.