Bay Area Commuter Services Announces Commuter Choices Week 2003

 

 

Press Contact:

Sandi Moody

Executive Director

Bay Area Commuter Services

813-282-8200

813-639-7728

 

TAMPA, Fla. (June 17, 2003) -- A 2002 survey by the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization reported that more than 40 percent of respondents said they wanted more options to driving, and more than half said they’d support spending $59 of every $100 on transportation projects instead of new roads and road widenings. The downside to that positive news is that nearly 80 percent of Floridians are still driving alone to work. Luckily, there are a growing number of options available to help people leave their cars at home.

To promote these options, local transportation organizations are working with businesses, government officials and the general public to celebrate Commuter Choices Week, October 6-11, 2003, as a fun way to consider the choices and focus on serious issues such as traffic congestion and air pollution. Along with events scheduled in the region’s major employment hubs, commuters who sign up to participate in Commuter Choices Week (CCW) by agreeing to use a commute option at least once during that week, will be eligible to win an exciting Grand Prize along with many other prizes.

And everyone wins when we have fewer single-occupant vehicles on the road. Consider what it actually costs to drive alone to work:

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Commuter Choices Week page 2

  • The average commuter spends about $2,500 a year going to and from work every day. Joining a carpool or vanpool can significantly cut that cost, depending upon how many people are in the pool. Bus passes are a bargain at as little as $40 a month ($40 per month for PSTA’s 31-day unlimited GO Card, and $46 per month for HARTline’s 31-day unlimited HARTride Card). You can save even more if you’re close enough to walk or bike to work.
  • With an average commute of 20 minutes, the typical Tampa Bay worker spends about 200 hours a year sitting in traffic.
  • Congestion costs the region about $430 million annually – or $650 per worker – in lost time and wasted fuel, according to a report from The Road Trip Information Program in Washington.
  • The region’s air quality is at risk, potentially jeopardizing federal transportation funding worth millions of dollars every year.

Bay Area Commuter Services also has figured out a way to address most commuters’ biggest concern:  what happens in case of an emergency? The Guaranteed Ride Home Program provides up to eight free taxi rides per year to any commuter who registers in advance and uses a commute option at least two days a week.  To learn more about your choices as a commuter or to participate in Commuter Choices Week, call Bay Area Commuter Services at 1-800-998-RIDE, or visit their website at www.TampaBayRideshare.org.   More details will be forthcoming as the event draws near.

 

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