RideKC Offers 75¢ Bus Rides After First Ozone Alert of 2016 Issued for Wednesday, June 15

Wednesday, June 15, is an Ozone Alert! To promote healthy air quality, RideKC cuts the cost of riding the bus in half during an Ozone Alert.

Ditching the car for a bus on Ozone Alert days can help cut auto emissions, which are a major contributor to ground-level ozone. By riding the bus instead of driving, people can help reduce the amount of ozone in the air. Area transit providers offer 75¢ bus rides during all Ozone Alerts between June 1 and September 30.

Since automobiles produce more than one-third of the emissions associated with ground-level ozone, reducing driving is a good way to help improve air quality. Ozone Alerts are issued when ground-level ozone reaches high levels.

These levels are dangerous for people with respiratory problems, as well as for healthy adults and children playing, working and exercising outdoors. Ozone’s harmful effects can include eye, nose and throat irritation; chest pain; coughing; nausea; and headaches. Ozone can also trigger asthma attacks, permanently damaging a person’s lungs. Children, senior citizens, those working or playing outdoors, and people with respiratory disease are at a higher risk from ozone exposure.