METRO BLOGS

As you age, it can become difficult to safely drive your own car. Once you can no longer drive, you may start looking for other ways to get around. Unfortunately, there are common disabilities individuals face as they get older that can make traveling alone difficult.  

However, changes are being made to public transportation services that make using it easy for older adults. Learn how public transportation can benefit the elderly from your McAllen transportation service.

How Age Affects Your Ability to Drive

Studies have shown that many Americans drive 7-10 years past their ability to do so. Although many people push to keep driving, 19% of people 65 years and older no longer drive. Additionally, around 47% of those 85 years and older have stopped driving as well.

Aging can lead to a reduction in strength, coordination, and flexibility, which can affect the way you drive. Even if proper safety precautions are taken, physical limitations can lead to dangerous accidents. 

Once driving is no longer an option, older adults struggle to find a different mode of transportation.

Common Disabilities and How They Affect Drivers

As you age, your body may become weaker in certain areas. Some common disabilities that older adults face include hearing loss, visual impairment, osteoporosis (weakened bone density), limited mobility, and dementia. 

Many of these common disabilities can cause older adults to quit driving themselves and seek other forms of transportation. Unfortunately, these disabilities also make it difficult to use other transportation options. 

Public transportation can be tricky to navigate for first-time users, and as you age it becomes even more difficult. Many elderly people are uncomfortable using public transportation because it can be confusing to them. It’s also hard for them to get on and off the transit buses and find a stable place to sit. 

Because of these obstacles, many older adults may choose to rely on family and friends for transportation or choose not to go out at all.

Improving Elderly Mobility Through Public Transit

To make public transportation more accessible for older adults, there are some changes that have been made. The Florida Department of Transportation’s Safe Mobility for Life Coalition has created guidelines to make public transit more age-friendly. Some of these guidelines include:

• All bus stops must have a proper amount of space with firm, stable, and slip-proof surfaces to make boarding easier

• The bus must have enough space for passengers to move on and off the buses, including sidewalk clearance

• Bus stop signs are required and must be located outside the accessible path

• Route indicators and wheelchair logos will show the way the bus is headed, as well as accessibility accommodations

• Signs should have a greater contrast between light and dark lettering and the background to allow those with visual impairments to clearly read them

• Each bus stop sign should have a unique design to it so riders don’t get confused with other street furniture

• If a shelter without seating is not available at a bus stop, bus benches should be provided for rest and support

With changes like these being made, older adults may find public transportation to be easier and accommodating. Public transit that is age-friendly can also allow all a safe form of transportation that can give individuals their independence and mobility back. 

If you have a loved one who has stopped driving due to older age, public transit may be the solution.

Get Your Mobility Back When You Ride With Metro and Micro McAllen

Aging can bring about a lot of change in a person’s life. For many, being mobile gives them a sense of freedom and independence. Public transportation services are making a lot of improvements to accommodate all individuals, including older adults.

Reach out to your McAllen public transportation service today to find out how we are making accommodations for older adults. Catch‌ ‌a‌ ‌ride‌ ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌Metro‌ ‌McAllen‌ ‌bus‌ ‌or‌ ‌

schedule‌ ‌your‌ ‌$1‌ ‌rideshare‌ ‌with‌ ‌Micro‌ today!‌

Find a Ride Today!

Uber and Lyft have grown in popularity over the past couple of years for their on-demand rideshare services. Users tend to choose Uber and Lyft because of their convenience. In most cities, you can hire a ride from your phone in just about any location. 

Unfortunately, services like Uber and Lyft increase air pollution.

Find out more about how Uber and Lyft increase auto pollution from your McAllen transportation service.

1. The Amount of Driving Is Increased

App-based rideshare services like Uber and Lyft increase the amount of driving that is done in cities each day. In Seattle, roughly 90,000 rides are requested each day, which is more than the city’s light rail system carries. 

On top of the rides that are being given, Uber and Lyft drivers often practice “deadheading.” The term “deadheading” is used by this industry to refer to drivers cruising around town without a passenger. Uber and Lyft policies actually encourage drivers to circle around town to reduce the wait time for users. 

With all this extra driving, pollution is increased due to more fuel being burned. Unfortunately, all these extra Uber and Lyft drivers add to traffic congestion, which means more cars idling and pumping harmful pollution into the air.

1. Business Is Taken Away From Transit Areas

Transit-friendly areas are losing business around the country due to Uber and Lyft. Oftentimes, those with a higher income choose to use the app-based rideshare services instead of riding public transit. 

Unfortunately, when business is taken away from transit systems, the environment suffers. Because public transportation can help to reduce air pollution, those who use it instead of their own car make a big difference in the environment. If business keeps going to Uber and Lyft, transit systems won’t be used as they should and more cars will be added to the road.

1. Biking and Walking Are Being Replaced

In many cities, those who would normally bike or walk have chosen to take Uber and Lyft instead. In 2020, a survey conducted in Boston showed that 12 percent of people would bike or walk if Uber and Lyft services weren’t available. An additional 5 percent would have avoided the trip altogether if services weren’t readily available. 

Uber and Lyft services have created a dependency for app-based services instead of actively walking or biking. Those who choose to bike or walk have a positive impact on the environment because they decrease the use of pollution-causing vehicles (and also reap health benefits).

Decrease Auto Pollution When You Ride With Metro and Micro McAllen

Using on-demand rideshare services like Uber and Lyft can take valuable business away from public transportation services. Unfortunately, many people choose Uber and Lyft without being aware of the pollution it adds to the environment. 

Public transportation can greatly decrease auto pollution and offers other social, financial, and health benefits. By simply changing to public transit instead of Uber and Lyft, you can help decrease the amount of pollution that other vehicles are pumping into the environment.

Try your McAllen public transportation out today when you ride with Metro and Micro McAllen. Get where you need to go in McAllen ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌Metro‌ ‌McAllen‌ ‌bus‌ ‌or‌ ‌schedule‌ ‌your‌ ‌$1‌ ‌rideshare‌ ‌with‌ ‌Micro today!

Find a Ride Today

Most people are stuck in a daily routine. They often hop in their car, sit in traffic, search high and low for a parking spot, then finally arrive at their destination. 

Although this is a common routine for many, it can be simplified by using public transportation. 

Public transportation offers a wide variety of benefits. Find out more about these benefits from your McAllen transportation service.

1. Economic Benefits

Transportation agencies and organizations provide many jobs to people, which often creates more private-sector jobs. 

Furthermore, from 2006 to 2011, houses that were located near public transportation were shown to be 42% more valuable. In addition to housing benefits, families who got rid of one vehicle and switched to public transportation saved over $10,000 each year.

Those who use public transportation on a regular basis can greatly benefit financially!

1. Social Benefits

If your only mode of transportation is driving alone in your car, you’re missing out on multiple opportunities for social interaction. 

Studies have shown that for every 10 minutes of travel by car, social connections are reduced by 10%. Even if it’s a simple greeting or making eye contact, riding on public transportation can give you the social interaction you need for your day. 

Using public transit can also create a sense of community and belonging for regular passengers.

1. Lifestyle Benefits

In the past few years, walkable communities surrounded by public transit have gained in popularity. Public transportation allows you the freedom to head to restaurants, shops, libraries, and parks without the burden of finding parking and being responsible for your own car. 

Using public transit also takes away the dependency on others to drive you. By using public transportation, you give yourself more freedom to be spontaneous and mobile.

1. Traffic Benefits

In the U.S., public transportation reduces travel time by 865,000,000 hours. If public transit was used more by Americans, that number would only increase. 

Riding with public transportation instead of by car can also decrease the amount of traffic congestion on the roads. 

With public transportation, you don’t have to worry about sitting in stop-and-go traffic and adding extra time to your commute.

1. Healthy and Safety Benefits

Because public transit often requires you to walk to and from transit stations, you get more steps and exercise in. Those who use public transportation were shown to have a lower mortality rate, a happier disposition, and a more productive workday. 

If you were using your own car, it’s more likely that you go straight from your garage to your car without much walking. You may have a harder time waking up and being productive throughout the day without that morning walk.

Riding with public transportation can also have safety benefits. Public transits take more high-risk drivers off the road, decreasing the chances of crashing. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Transit Administration, using public transportation is 10 times safer than traveling in your own vehicle. 

Reap the Benefits of Public Transportation When You Ride With Micro and Metro McAllen.

You may have never thought that public transportation was an option. Maybe you’ve heard of it but are afraid to give it a try. Public transportation can offer a wide range of benefits from economic and social to lifestyle and safety. Don’t take our word for it though, see for yourself when you give your McAllen public transportation service a try!

Try your McAllen transportation service yourself.‌ ‌Catch‌ ‌a‌ ‌ride‌ ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌Metro‌ ‌McAllen‌ ‌bus‌ ‌or‌ ‌

schedule‌ ‌your‌ ‌$1‌ ‌rideshare‌ ‌with‌ ‌Micro,‌ ‌today!‌ ‌We‌ ‌can‌ ‌get‌ ‌you‌ ‌where‌ ‌you‌ ‌need‌ ‌to‌ ‌go‌ ‌in‌ ‌

McAllen.‌

Ride with your Micro and Metro McAllen public transportation service today to see the benefits for yourself!

Find a Ride Today

With environmental issues becoming an increasingly important topic for all of us, public transportation is beginning to get its due when it comes to cutting national and global emissions. 

Still, many of us take public transportation without ever thinking about the good we’re doing for the environment. 

Public transportation can decrease the negative effects that car emissions have on the environment by cutting the number of pollutant-emitting vehicles there are on the road. Learn how public transportation can help the environment from your McAllen public transportation service.

How Public Transit Helps the Environment

Public transit has a wide variety of benefits, some of which help the environment. Knowing these benefits can greatly impact your choice of daily transportation. 

Some ways that public transit can help the environment include:

• Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions — 85% of greenhouse gas emissions that are released every day come from day-to-day commutes. By choosing to use public transportation, less fuel will be burned and air quality may see an improvement.

• Increases Fuel Efficiency — Public transportation has better fuel efficiency than other passenger vehicles. If you multiply the average miles per gallon by the number of cars on the road versus transit buses or trains, you’ll see that less fuel is consumed by public transport.

• Decreases Traffic Congestion — Traffic congestion increases with the number of cars on the road. Using public transportation can decrease that congestion. Once traffic congestion is lowered, the air pollution will decrease as well with fewer idling vehicles.

Using public transit can be a great way to help the environment. Reducing gas emissions and traffic congestion as well as increasing fuel efficiency can make a great difference in the environment. 

Switching to public transportation can only increase those benefits and a person’s way of life.

Emissions Stats

One of the biggest factors in air pollution is the amount of emissions that are given off by vehicles each day. To better understand how public transportation decreases emissions, here are some statistics:

• U.S. public transportation saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

• 30% of carbon dioxide emissions can be saved by eliminating one car and switching to public transportation.

• Switching from a 20-mile commute by car to public transportation can reduce an individual’s annual C02 emissions by 20 pounds by day, or more than 48,000 pounds per year.

Making a simple switch from your car to a transit bus or train can improve these statistics even more. When you choose to use public transportation instead of your own vehicle, you can get the benefits while also helping the environment. 

Make the switch today by using public transportation or a ride-sharing service near you.

Environmental Impact of Cars

Cars contribute significantly to air pollution by producing nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Every single second, two cars join the road — producing roughly 67 million cars a year. 

The more cars that are out on the road, the greater they contribute to global warming, acid rain, and harm to the environment. It may not seem like you’re doing much harm by driving your car down the road, but it can have long-lasting effects on the environment and human health. 

To decrease the impact that cars have on the environment, look to other options like public transportation or ride-sharing services.

Get Where You Need To Go, the Green Way

Many people prefer the convenience of their own vehicle to public transportation. While there are some positives to using your own car, public transportation offers even more benefits to the environment — and to you! From reducing air pollution to avoiding traffic congestion, you’ll find that public transportation has a lot to offer.

Give public transportation in McAllen a try. Catch a ride on a Metro McAllen bus or schedule your $1 rideshare with Micro, today! We can get you where you need to go in McAllen.

Do your part to help the environment with Micro and Metro McAllen, your public transportation solution.

Find A Ride Today