Transportation Options in Evanston and Beyond

It's getting easier to take public transportation. Read on.

Top reasons to take public transportation:

Save money, it's almost always cheaper to leave the car behind.
Enjoy your trip. On the bus or train you can read, listen to music, enjoy the scenery.
Arrive refreshed. Fighting traffic is a drag.
While walking or biking you are getting in shape... without paying gym fees.
Reduce CO2 emissions and pollution; this means cleaner air for all of us. Inhale. Exhale.
Reduce car traffic and noise. Ah. Imagine quieter streets.

Best way to get from here to there?
Google it!

Now you can use googlemaps or your iphone ap to find the best route when walking, riding a bike, bus or train. It's just as easy as finding the best driving directions. On the same site you can report unmapped routes or streets. maps.google.com

CTA and PACE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Use the CTA www.transitchicago.com and PACE gis.pacebus.com/webroute/viewer.htm trip planner: insert start point and destination addresses, press "Enter" and you'll get your route; or check for bus routes.

CTA and PACE allow you to combine public transportation with biking: discover their bike & ride programs www.transitchicago.com/goinggreen/multimode.aspx#bicycles
www.pacebus.com/sub/vision2020/bicycle_racks.asp

METRA TRAINS
The Metra Union Pacific North Line serves Evanston with 3 stations: Central Street, Davis Street, Main Street. In 25-30 minutes it brings you to Downtown Chicago (Ogilvie Transportation Center). Click here to check schedules metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map/up-n/map.html

There are 10 Metra lines serving Chicago. On the weekends you can travel everywhere with a ticket of $7. That's a great deal.

Another plus: Metra allows you to combine public transportation and biking metrarail.com/metra/en/home/utility_landing/riding_metra/bikes_on_trains.html

CAR POOLING or SHARING
If your work place is not well served by public transportation, organize a network of colleagues and friends to car-pool. Two car-sharing companies serve Evanston and the Chicago area: I-go with 100% low-emission vehicles www.igocars.org and Zipcar www.zipcar.com with many pick-up locations. In 2009 I-go and CTA launched Smart Card, a combined card you can use both for public transportation and car sharing services www.igocars.org/how/chicago-card-plus-i-go-card

Get Out of Town

MEGABUS
Since starting service in the US in 2006 Megabus has offered express service to over fifty cities in the US and Canada with one way fair as low as $1. That's not a typo; the fairs are really cheap, especially if booked in advance. Passengers enjoy clean, efficient facilities with upper deck and free Wifi. All Megabus are accessible. Megabus' European parent company is carbon neutral. Will the US Megabus do the same? Some US Megabuses already use bio fuel. Reservations must be made online. www.megabus.com/landing.php

METRA TRAINS (See above)

AMTRAK TRAINS
On Amtrak website you can check train schedules, buy tickets and get discounts on your trips. www.amtrak.com

Combine train and car travel: load your car up on the train tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/autotrain, buy a 15-30-45 -day ticket for all around the US tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/selectpass many tour operators have partnered with Amtrak to offer vacation packages combining travel on trains www.amtrak.com

AIR TRAVEL and CARBON OFFSETS
Many of us cannot easily avoid air travel, and jet fuel produces a lot of CO2. To compensate for these emissions, air travelers can contribute to the Evanston Climate Action Fund. The Fund supports projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions right here in Evanston and helps local nonprofits and lower-income families save money by saving energy.
Funded projects must be --

Credible (achieved with sound methodologies and practices),
Additional (made possible because of the Fund),
Quantifiable (resulting in measurable reductions in GHG emissions), and
Permanent (not subject to reversal in the future).

For more information about the Fund, the projects it has made possible, and suggested contribution amounts: www.evanstonforever.org/community/climateaction.html

For more information on forms of public transportation: