Go green while saving green on commuting

While one valley resident lost weight, another gained time, but they both saved money and helped the environment. That's thanks to a free, employer-based program administered by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Club Ride Commuter Services. Club Ride encourages employees to leave their cars at home for some trips in favor of riding transit, carpooling, vanpooling, walking and/or biking.

By signing up with their participating employer for Club Ride and taking an alternative mode of transportation just four times per month, commuters are eligible for prizes including cash gift cards. In addition, participating employers receive benefits, including additional parking, tax incentives and increased employee moral. To date, those benefits have convinced more than 180 local employers to sign up for the free Club Ride program and their employees are experiencing a wide range of perks.

Losing 70 pounds is no minor feat but it could be considered a major perk of the Club Ride program for Henderson resident Sally Newsom. After she made just a minor change to her daily routine, Newsom saw this weight vanish.

She was tired of getting in her car every day for a relatively short commute but found it hard to find time to exercise during her busy day. With her office just three miles away from her home, Newsom decided to give walking a try. Since then, she's used her commute to train for a half-marathon and has prevented thousands of pounds of pollution from entering our valley's air.

Another valley resident, Krystyna Stave, had been commuting alone by car until she was inspired by a co-worker to bicycle to work, which helps her save hundreds of dollars a month on her 50-mile round-trip commute. Upon starting, Stave found that riding her bike from Boulder City to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus got her to work faster than driving. On days when she wants to cycle only part of the way, she simply utilizes the bike racks available on all of the RTC's buses and hops on board.

Although leaving the convenience of a car at home may sound daunting for some valley drivers, the RTC and its Club Ride program are making it easier than you may think. In 2008 alone, the RTC's transit vehicles carried nearly 67 million people through the 266 square miles the system covers.

"We've made tremendous improvements to the transit system as a whole," said RTC General Manager Jacob Snow. "By improving our on-time performance to an average of 95 percent and replacing our older vehicles with state-of-the-art versions, we're working to make transit a viable option for more commuters."

And the viability of transit will increase tremendously over the next few years thanks to the RTC's plans. New park-and-ride facilities in the northwest portion of the valley will be launching points for express transit routes that will utilize the high occupancy vehicle lanes along U.S. 95 to take commuters into the center of town more quickly than they could get there in a car alone. These locations will also be ideal meeting places for carpool and vanpool groups -- another popular component of the Club Ride program.

"Club Ride will provide you with potential carpool and vanpool matches who live and work in the same areas that you do," explained Snow. "It's a great way to meet new people and an excellent tool to help residents go green while saving some green."

By giving commuters an affordable and sustainable option for getting around, the RTC is creating a healthier community for everyone in Southern Nevada. For more information, visit www.rtcsnv.com.