CATS Urges Charlotte to Get on Board with Clean Air

July 28, 2016
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is currently running its annual clean air campaign, which urges community members to Get On Board with Clean Air by biking, walking or riding public transportation.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is currently running its annual clean air campaign, which urges community members to Get On Board with Clean Air by biking, walking or riding public transportation. Since the campaign’s launch, there have been several Air Quality Action Days as deemed by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Air Quality Action Days are declared when weather conditions are likely to combine with pollution emissions to form high levels of ozone near the ground that may cause harmful health effects.

Data from Mecklenburg County points to the fact that 90 percent of ozone pollution in the Charlotte community comes from auto exhaust. Riding public transportation is a step towards making the air we breathe cleaner, as one bus can take up to 40 cars off the road. Also, data from the American Lung Association’s 2015State of the Air Report affirms breathing cleaner air can add four months on to the average person's life.

Improving air quality is just one of the many benefits of riding public transportation. Currently, public transportation in the U.S. saves 37 million metric tons of carbon emissions and 4.2 billion gallons of fuel.  CATS wants residents to know what to do to help make the air easier to breathe for your family, friends and neighbors. 

Visit www.cleanaircharlotte.com to learn how people get around Charlotte by riding public transit, biking and utilizing CATS vanpool services. We all have a responsibility to keep the air clean.

To learn more about CATS and its services, please call 704-336-RIDE or visit us on the web at www.ridetransit.org.