Smog Continues to Blanket State in Third "Spare The Air Day" in Row

By Armando Duke

Houston, TX - For the third day in a row, smog continued to blanket parts of northern California under its "Spare The Air Day" program intended to get more commuters to take public transportation instead of driving their vehicles.

California's air quality program is funded by $7 million in grants that costs $1.8 million per day to offer free public transportation to California commuters. Bay Area Air Quality Management District Vice President Mark Ross told the press Sunday that this will be the last time this season that Bay Area Transit agencies will be offering California commuters free rides.

Thursday and Friday of last week Bay Area Air Quality Management had offered free rides under the Spare The Air program. But even though many Califorina commuters showed up to use the free ride program, the area was still unable to meet federal public health standards.

Bay area officials will try to secure more funding to add another couple of Spare the Air days this year. "We didn't expect to use them up this quickly but that augers the need for more of these days so we're going to go to the federal government and ask for more," Ross said.

Ross' office said that it was still too early to tell whether Friday violated federal health limits, marking the third straight day last week of heavy smog.

Spare the Air was created in 2004 and is a partnership between Bay Area Rapid Transit, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and other agencies.

Spare the Air season, began June 1 and continues through October 13. When air quality is poor, the Bay area agencies release health advisories.