Commuter

1. Choose an efficient vehicle.

A car that gets 20 miles per gallon will emit about 50 tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. A car getting 40 mpg will emit half that much. When buying your next car, pick the least-polluting, most efficient vehicle that meets your needs. Maybe it's an innovative hybrid that combines a gasoline engine with electric motors (and never needs to be plugged in). Or maybe it's a stationwagon instead of an SUV.

Over the average lifetime of an American car, a 40-mpg car will save roughly $3,000 in fuel costs compared with a 20-mpg car, so compare fuel economy performance before you buy.

See www.fueleconomy.gov's Find and Compare Cars feature.

2. Drive smart.

Get your engine tuned up and keep your tires inflated -- both help fuel efficiency. If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated, gasoline use nationwide would come down 2 percent.

A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon anywhere from 4 to 40 percent.

A new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon.

3. Drive less.

When possible, choose alternatives to driving such as public transit, biking, walking, or carpooling.

Bundle your errands together so you'll make fewer trips.

Consult local transit schedules at www.tmacc.org

Whenever Possible: Live where you work - Work where you live. If you work in WC, consider looking for a place to live in WC. If you live in WC, consider finding a job in WC. Besides saving fuel, you'll appreciate the time you save not commuting. (The average US commuter spends 24 minutes/day, 100 hours/year commuting - US Census 2003)

4. Carpool. Vanpool. Share-a-Ride.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission coordinates a Share-A-Ride program - a free computerized service that could potentially match you with convenient transit services, car pools, vanpool groups, even walking and bicycling opportunities if you work in the 5-county southeastern Pennsylvania region.

You can learn more at the following websites: http://www.pacarpool.com/

Office of Marketing and Commuter Services (215) 592-1800

sharearide@dvrpc.org

5. Ask your employer about Employee Trip Reduction programs.

Many employees can use transportation alternatives part-time, if given suitable support and incentives. Ask your employer about company travel reimbursement policies that reimburse bicycle or transit mileage for business trips, rather than only reimbursing automobile mileage.

Monthly transit passes can be purchased as a tax-free benefit (under Section 132(f) of the United States Internal Revenue Code). The money spent by the employer, and employee are tax-deductible as a business expense and employees can save over $100.00 per month from federal income tax, FICA taxes, unemployment or Workers Compensation/Disability Insurance costs.

You can learn more at the following websites: http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm9.htm