Posts Tagged ‘bus’

I got an e-mail the other day from a guy that made me so happy. The e-mail started with a question regarding the Commute Greener solution and the possibility to use it without Facebook. I know that we have been pushing a lot for the new Commute Greener Facebook app  – and yes – it’s also possible to use Commute Greener without Facebook. Just go to www.CommuteGreener.com and sign up! But what made me happy was that guy wrote that he has changed his daily commuting to bus and to this….. 

“So fun in the city, going 3 to 4 four times quicker than walk, easy to grab and get into buses, and can ride to almost any reasonable track, pedestrian ways, unlike bicycles. Yesterday, I’ve been riding during lunch break –my usual time to go sport- for a good hour. No back pain as I got when jogging for years. You can choose to ride smart and cool, but can burn your heart as well !”

I am a bit crazy in bikes, have some…but I have missed this Finnish innovation- Kickbike! I have seen similar for children, but with very small wheels and dangerous to ride, at least for people like me…

And why not go by a Kick Spark this winter – i like!

Thank you Pierre for your inspiring e-mail and Happy commuting!

/Karin

Another good reason to take the bus, watch this cool bus driver…

Do you want some company on the bustrip? Just register and login to Commute Greener and search for a ride share friend!
Follow this blog or like us at Facebook to keep you updated about the coming Commute Greener Facebook app release, including an improved ride share feature and much more….

Commute Greener!
/Karin

Peak travel, heard about it?

That’s the moment when a society stops using more energy on transportation and more private cars, and slowly turns to a greener way. It seems to be happening, or even have happened. Swedish radio reported last week about this from prominent researchers who have studied the energy and transportation sector for a long time.

Adam Millard-Ball from McGill university in Montreal points out that the raised gas price is not the only explanation for why fewer people are getting private cars, attitudes among people are changing too. Even in the car’s home town Detroit bicycling is growing largely.

Peter Newman, professor i sustainable development at Curtin University of Technology, Perth, tell that the “peak car” happened already in 2004 in developed countries.  Therefore he recommends urban city planners to re-check their plans and drawings. Most cities might not need more highways in the future, but more bicycle lanes or train tracks, for example.

I also just found this great video from Detroit, showing how bicycling can be a new lifestyle, bringing both joy, less pollution but also an improved health. Enjoy:

Want more info about this?

Are We Reaching Peak Travel? Trends in Passenger Transport in Eight Industrialized Countries, Adam Millard-Ball & Lee Schipper, Transport Reviews: A Transnational Transdisciplinary Journal, Volume 31 Issue 3, pages 357-378, 18 Nov 2010, DOI:10.1080/01441647.2010.518291

‘Peak Car Use’ (pdf) : Understanding the Demise of Automobile Dependence, Peter Newman & Jeff Kenworthy, Western Australia Eco‐Logica Ltd. ISSN 1352‐7614World Transport, Policy & Practice, Volume 17.2 June 2011

Circulating for a while on the net I hope that by sharing this small quiz it is possible for most of you start 2012 in a good way

Commute Greener!

This April me and my family moved to Menlo Park just south of San Francisco from Sweden. Both me and my fiancé are researchers devoted to solutions to climate change so we have a built in resistance to own a car and try to minimize its use. So when we moved here it was obvious to try to do it without getting a car. This turned out to be quite a challenge at least until we got settled down.

The good part is that at least public transportation exists here. The problem is that it does not go very frequently which we learned the hard way.  One day we just missed one bus and decided to wait for the next one. One hour later, and many “When is our bus coming?” from our son, the bus finally arrived. Luckily it was a beautiful sunny day and we were not in a hurry. Another time it took us three hours, we walked 3 km and took 2 buses and had a short stop at a grocery store, to travel a distance that took 15 minutes by car.

Now we are settled and everyday living without a car is actually quite smooth. After getting our apartment we quickly purchased two bikes and a bike-trailer for our kids. Menlo Park and Palo Alto are actually very well suited for biking. Good weather, flat landscape, good bicycle paths and you can bring the bike on the buses, commuter trains and even some subways. The kids like riding in the back even if it took some time for the smallest one to get adjusted to the helmet. And you can transport a lot of things in the trailer combined with a basket I have on my bike.

Another day after having bought a booster for the car, vacuum cleaner, shoe rack, pillow and some other small items at a major shopping center; the cashier gently asked us if we need help getting the things to the car. We said “no thank you, we are just going to take it to a bus and then on our bike”, her chin dropped and she was speechless. After three months however we did succumb to the pressure and bought a car, a used Toyota Prius. We still do our everyday life – commuting to work, taking the kids to pre-school, buying groceries – by bike but we wanted a car to be able to explore the beautiful nature around were we live, that is not accessible in any other ways. So now we enjoy a spontaneous outing to some of the open space reserves on the weekends. The challenge now is not to overuse the car and to stick to the bikes and public transportation when this is feasible. And maybe that is more realistic challenge to pose to families, or what do you think?

Frances Sprei

The summer commute is actually quite easy. The bike is (or should be) the transportation option of choice and as long as the workplace has a shower and you bring a spare set of clothes it is really not such a big deal. Autumn on the other hand can become quite a challenge. The weather become unpredictable and cycling to work may not be such a natural choice anymore. Well it is for the hardcore cyclist, and hats of to you for peddling year around, but most people simply don’t want that. There are lots of other options to look at instead of driving though.

Public transportation is severely underrated. You walk for some ten minutes, hop on the bus/train and then you have some time to read the news, play with the phone, read or do whatever you do. It is a really nice way to commute greener. Another nice option is ride-sharing (another commute related option Commute Greener! can help you set up). A telecommute is another option, as mentioned yesterday.

Whatever option you choose, you got to prepare a bit. Driving is encouraging us not to plan ahead, it is just a matter of getting in the car and drive away. You can of course do that with a green commute as well, but planing ahead will save time and make the ride smother.SO here are some ways you can prepare for the autumn commute;

• Check bus timetables. Bus/train companies have a tendency to change them about now and not knowing the times can cause massive annoyances.
• Plan the route. If you are going to have to chain the commute you want to minimize waiting time.
• Make sure you have time in the morning so you don’t miss the bus in the morning. That can make you late, and that isn’t a good way to start the day.
• Bring a small umbrella in the bag. At least in Sweden rain comes without warning this time a year (ah who am I kidding, it always rains here).
• Have a couple of thin gloves in the bag/pocket. Especially mornings can be cold, then it gets really warm during the day.
• Get some entertainment. If you have an iPhone or some other smartphone then play with that, otherwise reading, drawing (on paper, not seats, windows or passengers) will make the trip feel much faster.
• Get some kind of sheath/protection for your book. I usually don’t and all of mine are water damaged/dirty/or outright grimy from wet and muddy commutes. I don’t mind but some people do.
• Find some bus buddies. Maybe by using our rideshare feature.
• If you share the ride with someone, be sure you are ready when they come with the car. Otherwise you may not be ridesharing the next day.

Not to difficult, right? This is basically just common sense but can go a long way towards making the commute smother and more bearable. By sticking to taking the bus to work instead of driving you are saving a lot of CO2 compared to if you are driving. You also help reducing traffic congestion and air pollution at the same time as you get some free time. So try it out. It will take a couple of weeks to get used to commuting this way if you are used to the freedom of driving, but when you do you will love it.

/

Fredrik

Hi guys!

It has been a while since last time we posted some tips on what to do on the commute, and the old ones are still valid. So of course I decided to reblogg our last entry. Enjoy!

So, you have decided to try commuting by bus. To let the car rest and try out the public transportation everybody talks about. Hopefully you have already done your homework and know a bit about the pay system and which routes that are the fastest. You get up in the morning.  And quickly realize a couple of things.

1. You have to plan your mornings to get to the bus stop in time.
2. While on the bus, you have some 20+ minutes of downtime.

This scenario isn’t uncommon. I mean, of course you aren’t used to downtime when driving to work every day. Driving a car require constant attention if nothing else. Listening to music or making a phone call can kill the time in long ques.

But on the bus, or commuter train/rail you just sit there. Therefore it quickly gets boring. Right?

I am amazed of how crafty transit-commuters are when it comes to occupying themselves. My favorite things to do on the commute include reading, listening to music, work, chatting with the passenger next to me or maybe doing a bit of surfing the net. I think it’s time to update the “what to do on the commute” list from way back. So without further delays;

1. Play with your smartphone. There are so many apps, games and opportunities. You decide what you like best. A tip from Magnus (managing director of Commute Greener!) is this one. And this is no surprise either I hope:)
2. Read a book. I don’t know how many hours and books my commute have devoured. May I recommend the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson (the books “the girl with the dragon tattoo” movie is based upon)
3. Catch up on the news. Yea, let’s move on.
4. Eat breakfast or get the morning coffee. Only if it is allowed though. If you have a long commute you can save some precious morning time by eating on the train/bus.
5. For all the ladies out there who like to put some makeup on in the morning; why not save some time in the morning and do it during the commute? Quite common, and I’m amazed with how the ladies here parry the bumping bus all the time.
6. Facebook or twitter the time away. Most people have a phone that can take it, so why not? Just don’t miss your stop.
7. Get to know people. Many are quite friendly, so why not discuss the news, or sports? If you commute with co-workers, why not getting to know them better? Or team up with other green commuters with our Rideshare feature.
8. Watch some youtube-clips, if you have a laptop or phone that can manage it. Hey if we have to drag all this technology along, why not use it.
9. Count cars with a single occupant, and feel smug when you glide by long car lanes in the bus lane.
10. Get some work done. Yea, it is boring but it passes time and may let you get home a bit earlier. I have never heard anyone complain about that.

Basic stuff. I bet you can find hundreds of things to do to use all that free-time. So Once again get to it. Keep commuting greener!

Fredrik

Hi!

Our commute makes up a large part of our personal CO2 footprints. How large varies with what kind of transportation we choose, how far we go, how often and many other factors. Driving have been the transportation option of choice for a majority of commuters for several years, but lo and behold; trends point towards greener commutes!

I came across this interesting article in the Internet version of the New Scientist magazine a couple of hours ago. It contains a

Taking the bike to work is getting more and more popular. This is the Queen's Square in Gothenburg during autumn.

discussion of how our habits are changing in response to new technology, higher gas prizes and an economy that is down the drain. Apparently we reached a travel peak a couple years ago. Since then the number of new cars sold and vehicles on the streets have become fewer in the “west”. It is a shame that the “east” have taken up wests bad habits, but that is another story. Something quite interesting is happening right now; cycling to work, or taking the bus, is getting more and more trendy. Just look at the rapid raise in interest for biking. Facebook have several pages devoted to this mode of transportation and there are numerous blogs on the subject. That public transportation is also getting more and more attention in social media is a more low key trend, but it is still there.

Why is a greener commute getting trendy, and why now? Who are the ones who choose to commute greener? Well, let’s quote the article, as the author says it better then I could;

Demographics is a more likely explanation. It is surely no accident that peak car happened first in Japan, which has the world’s oldest population. Pensioners do not drive to work, and many don’t drive at all. There is also the rise of people like me, “virtual commuters” who work from home via the Internet. -Fred Pearce, New Scientist issue 2825, The end of motormania

Social scientists detect a new “culture of urbanism”. The stylish way to live these days is in inner-city apartments. The suburbs suck. Richard Florida, an urban studies theorist at the University of Toronto in Canada, points out that the young shop online, telecommute, live in walkable city neighbourhoods near public transport and rely more on social media and less on face-to-face visiting. Given those changes, they can think of better ways to spend their money than buying a car. -Fred Pearce, New Scientist issue 2825, The end of motormania

So, older populations and a new lifestyle from the young generation change the regular commute patterns. According to this article, the number of youngsters with a drivers license is decreasing. And due to the economy and rising fuel prizes, more people choose alternative means of transportation. Isn’t that just wonderful. Less CO2 from transportation, less congestion, less pollution and less noise are good effects that may come from this. The “new” emphasis on biking and walking may even help people to get out and become healthy.

The question is if this trend will continue. Public transportation projects are popping up everywhere and several cities in Europe are working hard to get their citizens to bike or use public transportation and ditch the car. In north America as well as Mexico there are several similar campaigns and projects going. Will we see a new kind of society growing from the possibilities of telecommuting and virtual meetings?

No matter if this holds or not, I personally hope more people will get interested in how they can reduce their CO2 footprint through this. And that walking, biking  and taking the bus will become the natural mode of transportation for the young and the next generation. After all, by taking the bike once a week, you shave of 20% of your commute CO2 imprint. By doing it every day, you hit a solid 100%. No emissions at all. And a bus emits some 45g CO2/km and passenger. A large car, which most often only have a single occupant scores a wopping 240 g CO2/km. That is a large difference. Let’s hope the low end alternatives will be dominating in the future. While the trends aren’t that drastic, more green commuters is definitely a very positive thing!

/

Fredrik

It is not often I write about green tech. That is more up Thai-Son’s and the other writers at commutegreener.com’s alley. But this is just too cool to leave out. A group of tech geeks… students I mean… in Georgia have converted a schoolbus into a hydraulic hybrid. It runs on recycled diesel. It converts energy from breaking and accelerating during stop-start driving situations to energy to power the vehicle. It is just so cool!

The theory goes something like this;

The hydraulic hybrid bus uses a diesel engine to power a pump that charges an accumulator.  When the bus  is accelerating, the accumulator then powers the hydraulic motors with built-up pressure, but when it’s braking, the pump motors reverse and recapture that energy.  UPS introduced delivery trucks with this technology just a few years ago, but what makes this school bus stand out is that it will also run on recycled biodiesel from used cooking oil. http://www.ecogeek.org

Now that is ONEconverted bus . What if all buses ran on this tech? How much CO2 would be saved? How much fuel would be saved? And the technology is already in use? Why isn’t it more common already!

Probably because no one thought of it. A bus is not something exciting. A fancy car is. Just look at Nissan Leaf or the Prius. They were the talk of the Internet, both on green and car forums and blogs. Everybody wanted them. I don’t see the same kind of excitement over electric buses, or gas buses or giant monster “buses” from China. Oh, wait. Strike that last one out…

A shame really. Buses are good green transportation options. The CO2 emissions are low on a per passenger ratio, and it swallows a LOT of cars. Less cars on the roads means less emissions, less noise and less accidents. So more innovative bus related stuff like this!

/

Fredrik

I found a rather interesting article about how to create a culture of public transportation today. It was about the Marci option, an ongoing campaign in California, USA. Outside San Ramon, almost 40 miles from San Fransisco, there is a big office park with some 30 000 workers. 33% of them choose public transportation for the commute. The article is in the Atlantic by the way.

Wait a minute! 33%? that’s a huge number. Really good. Especially in such a car centered culture as the American. Some 90 % of the Americans commute by car, so getting 10 000 of a total of 30 000 office workers to change to a greener commute is fantastic. It is so good I can hardly believe it. How on earth have this come to pass?

This office park have the Ranch’s Transportation center, and its program manager Marci (ie the name Marci option) to thank for this. She, her coworkers and the companies around the park have managed to create a whole new transportation culture. Using transit is a choice, not a sacrifice. And it is easy in this area apparently as there are lots of bus lines that go through or close to the office park. Availability is a key for making public transportation really well used and popular. It also makes it possible to save lots of money on gas, insurance and other costs. More importantly is the fact that if it is easy to access it will be easier to switch to a greener commute as a lifestyle choice. Weather this is a “stress less” choice or for the environment doesn’t really matter, one will lead to the other. Like health, wealth and a better planet. I wonder where you heard that slogan before…

I find two major things interesting here;

1) The fact that the program got almost 10 000 of 30 000 employees to switch to public transportation, and buses at that. I have gotten he impression that buses are for the poor while rail in all form for the middle-class in many Americans minds. Not only that but it takes a while to get used to public transportation. The article in The Atlantic mentioned two weeks. For someone to hang on to something they mistrusts and dislike for two weeks is quite impressive. And the workers seem to have noticed that they save money and live a more environmentally friendly lives as well.

2) The health results. To quote the article

Marci says that once riders begin leaving their cars at home they go through a stressful period of two weeks or so where they feel that they’ve lost the control they had in the car. But within three weeks they notice their overall stress levels are lower. “Transit requires that you go at a different pace. You have to wait. If there were roses, we’d smell them,” she says, “There’s not much of that in our lives.” She says HR people have called her saying some of their meaner workers have become pleasant people after switching to transit.

In other words, there are some serious carrots for employers AND employees to lobby for better public transportation. If it is possible it might even be an idea to throw in good bike parking (with security cameras/locked doors to avoid theft) in the lobbying as well. Who doesn’t want to reduce stress and stress-related diseases and symptoms.

Commute Greener! is running a campaign at Lindholmen Science park in Gothenburg during April and May. Health wealth and a better planet are central words for Commute Greener! We too focus on lifestyle choices. It is really nice to see that similar campaigns are running with great results. Climate change is a huge and foreboding problem. We will all have to pitch in and do our part in controlling this monster. Small steps matter a great deal, and the commute is something that can be easy to affect. You can save lots of CO2 by simply taking the bus instead of driving, and you will get calmer (once you get used to it) and save a few bucks in the process.  If these guys can, we can too!

Commute Greener! everybody!

Fredrik