MATBUS encourages residents to celebrate Earth Week, with the annual Get Your “Can” on the Bus promotion. From Monday, April 22, through Saturday, April 27, passengers can ride for free when they donate one aluminum can on board fixed-route vehicles.
In 2023, riders donated 163 pounds of cans. MATBUS began the promotion in 1992 and has done it every year except 2020. Proceeds from the recycling of collected cans will be donated to the Homeward Animal Shelter. The promotion is not valid on the reservation-only MAT Paratransit service.
Public transportation plays an integral role in protecting our environment:
• One MATBUS vehicle full of people can remove up to 50 cars from the road – a line of cars approximately four city blocks long. This not only helps reduce traffic on roads, but also lessens the negative impacts of cars on the environment.
• Riding public transportation instead of using a personal vehicle is one of the most effective ways for citizens to reduce their individual carbon footprints. Bus transit produces 33% less greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than the average private vehicle.
• Public transportation supports compact land development, which reduces sprawl and keeps more land for green spaces like parks and agriculture.