Car Free Day
September 21, 2022
On Thursday, September 22 we celebrate Car Free Day. There are one billion vehicles on the globe, make it one less for the day.
Car Free Day is a worldwide event that encourages greener methods of travel; meaning ways to get around other than driving alone by car.
Together, we can reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. And public transportation must be part of that equation. Public transportation use in the United States reduces our nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually. This is equivalent to if DC, New York City, Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles combined stopped using electricity.
A single commuter switching his or her commute to public transportation can reduce a household’s carbon emissions by 10% — and up to 30% if they eliminates a second car. One person with a 20-mile round trip commute who switches from driving to public transit can reduce his or her daily carbon emissions by 20 pounds, or more than 4,800 pounds in a year.
SEPTA is doing its part in staying as green as can be. We already operate a fully-electrified multi-modal rail system and we have one of the largest "green" bus fleets in the nation. We're committed to transitioning away from diesel-powered buses. In fact, we're planning for a full transition to zero-emission buses (ZEBs) by the year 2040.
Check out our zero-emission bus playbook for more information on this forward-looking strategy to benefit the communities of the Southeastern Pennsylvania region.
By reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the road, SEPTA’s services simultaneously provide congestion relief and reduce idling time in high-traffic conditions.
To read more about climate change and how it relates to public transportation, visit our climate change page HERE.
And don't forget - SEPTA makes it so easy to access everything our city has to offer, that we think every day should be car free day.
