The high price of parking space for automobiles combined with significant growth in traffic congestion in the downtown area led the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan to establish a bus pass programme. The programme, called “Get Downtown”, was launched in 1999 and involves a partnership between the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, and Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA). The programme was financed by a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program grant. During the first two years, it offered free unlimited use bus passes, called “go!passes”, to all downtown employees. At present, the Get Downtown programme offers the passes to all downtown businesses at a cost of US$5 per employee; the remaining cost per pass is subsidized by the Downtown Development Authority.

A complementary regulation that requires employers to provide all full-time employees with go!passes is also being implemented. The program has resulted in a 10 per cent reduction of downtown car use, US$200,000 of annual savings in fuel costs and a 734 tonne reduction of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

In an effort to minimize impacts on the environment, AATA began the process of converting its entire bus fleet to hybrid electric technology when it introduced its first 15 hybrid electric buses in October 2007 and an additional five in March 2008. The buses feature a combination of a battery-powered electric motor, to provide most of the power at slower speeds, and a smaller clean-diesel engine that takes over at higher speeds. AATA says that the use of hybrid electric buses strengthens its commitment to protecting the environment by burning less fuel and emitting fewer pollutants into the air. AATA plans to continue this conversion over the long term as older buses reach their 12-year life expectancy.

Case study courtesy of the UNEP Publication, Reducing Emissions from Private Cars: Incentive measures for behavioural change.