This Earth Day, Save the Environment! Ride a Bus!

CINCINNATI, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- This Earth Day, you can reduce your carbon footprint by simply leaving your car in the garage and taking the bus.

It is easy to overlook the fact that public transit and school buses replace a significant number of cars on the road, making them an environmentally sound transportation option. One school bus alone eliminates 36 cars. With more than 480,000 school buses on the road each day, that's nearly 17.3 million fewer vehicles on the streets, leading to reduced congestion, emissions and road wear and tear. In addition, research shows that the typical automobile driver can reduce individual daily carbon emissions by more than 4,800 pounds per year by using public transit.

Today's buses are more environmentally friendly than ever before, thanks to cleaner-burning engines, specialized particulate filters and alternative fuels.

By riding a bus, we can make a difference on Earth Day and every day.

Green Facts about Buses:

• Using public transportation saves the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually.
• School buses save a total of 2.3 billion gallons of fuel each year for the 17.3 million cars they replace on the road.
• One person switching to public transit can reduce daily carbon emissions by 20 pounds, or more than 4,800 pounds in a year.

About FirstGroup America

FirstGroup America is the leading transportation company in North America. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Company provides busing and maintenance services to municipalities, school districts and the general public in the U.S. and Canada. In 2008, the company was awarded the National Safety Council's highest award for safety.  FirstGroup America is the largest provider of student transportation and the largest private sector provider of transit management and contracting services in the U.S. and Canada. The Company also owns and operates Greyhound. For more information, visit www.firstgroupamerica.com.

SOURCE FirstGroup America