Getting to class cleaner
by Fresh Energyby Elena Velkov, media relations coordinator, Fresh Energy
As a recent graduate of the University of Florida, I have a strong appreciation for the campus bus system. Riding a bus meant I arrived on time to a class that, while still considered “on campus,” would take a 40-minute walk. It was also convenient during tropical storms when the last thing I wanted to do was sit through a lecture, soaked to the skin, in full-blast AC. Plus, using public transit meant I was contributing less to the global warming problem.
Last month, Madison mayor Dave Cieslewicz pushed the University of Wisconsin’s bus system to the next level, getting students to class while producing less global warming pollution. The city added two new hybrid-electric public transit buses to campus routes. The buses are part of the Mayor’s 100K Clean Energy Challenge, which aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 100,000 tons by 2011. The new buses get 75 percent better fuel economy, according to a September 12 article in the Badger Herald. To accommodate the students—Metro Transit’s biggest customer base—those buses will have wide aisles and Badger-red seats.
Now consider the Twin Cities. The city of Saint Paul lists nearly 20 different area colleges and universities, while the city of Minneapolis has almost 15. Students ride the bus—Metro Transit has over 20 schools participating in its Go-To College Pass program and sold over 1,000 passes for in the 2007 spring semester. Getting 75 percent better fuel economy on such widely used buses for these large student populations could make a real dent in global warming pollution. When will students in the Twin Cities get a crack at hybrid-electric transit buses?
