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Spare the Air, ride BART free

Ride BART free until 1 p.m. on the first four weekday "Spare the Air" days (excluding holidays) occurring between June 1 and October 12, 2007! Anyone entering a BART station before 1 p.m. can ride free on these days.

To date, there have been two free transit Spare the Air days, Wednesday, August 29 and Thursday, August 30.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) are partnering with BART and 32 other transit agencies throughout the region.

BART and other rail systems (CalTrain, Ace Train) and ferries will be free until 1:00 p.m. All regional bus systems will be free all day. Keep the air as clean as possible by taking the bus, walking or riding your bike to the BART station.

Daily fee parking in BART lots will be free and no validation will be required on Spare the Air days, but all reserved/permit parking regulations and other parking regulations will be enforced by BART Police. All other BART rules will also be in effect, including no eating or drinking. Bike rules will be enforced, as well.

The free transit promotion ends on October 12 or following the fourth non-holiday weekday Spare the Air day of the 2007 season, whichever comes first. This project is made possible by funds from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program and Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA)/Air District funding.

For more information, visit sparetheair.org or 511.org. You can receive advance notification of Spare the Air days by registering for "Air Alerts" at sparetheair.org.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District declares a Spare the Air day when it expects air pollution to reach unhealthy concentrations, which typically occur on hot, windless days. Spare the Air advisories are issued the afternoon before a Spare the Air day.

In addition to BART, the following transit agencies are also participating in the free transit program:

  • AC Transit
  • ACE
  • Alameda-Harbor Bay Ferry
  • Alameda-Oakland Ferry
  • American Canyon Shuttle
  • Air BART
  • Benicia Breeze
  • CalTrain
  • Cloverdale Transit
  • County Connection (CCCTA)
  • Dumbarton Express
  • Fairfield/Suisun Transit
  • Golden Gate Ferry and Bus (GGBHTD)
  • Healdsburg Transit
  • Wheels
  • Marin County Transit
  • MUNI
  • Napa VINE
  • Petaluma Transit
  • Rio Vista Delta Breeze
  • SamTrans
  • Santa Rosa City Bus
  • Sonoma County Transit
  • St. Helena Shuttle
  • Tri Delta Transit
  • Union City Transit
  • Vacaville City Coach
  • City of Vallejo Ferry
  • Vallejo Transit
  • VTA
  • WestCat
  • Yountville Shuttle

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency chartered with protecting air quality in the Bay Area.

MTC (www.mtc.ca.gov) is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.