It is simple. Riding public transit is good for the environment and everyone living in it. Public transit offers an overwhelming number of advantages, ultimately benefiting transit users, nonusers, businesses, taxpayers, local governments and residents of all ages.

This includes Little Rock and the surrounding area, which are served by the Central Arkansas Transit Authority — a vital component of the region that offers bus, paratransit and trolley services for the public.

By riding public transit, you can expect to save thousands of dollars each year in fuel, mainte- nance, insurance and parking costs. Those savings result in more money in more people’s pockets — money that can be spent in the local economy.

More people using public transit results in less cars impacting the roads, less traffic congestion and less fuel being burned. This is an automatic triple savings. Fewer cars impacting the lo-cal roads results in less maintenance and fewer taxpayer dollars being spent on road repairs. Fewer cars being driving also means a decrease in carbon omissions and other harmful pollutants that decimate the quality of air we breathe and the water we drink. And a decrease in fuel being consumed results in decreased dependence on foreign oil.

Public transit just makes sense. It is more environmentally sustainable, more economically beneficial, safer and friendlier to travel in numbers. For more information, check out www.cat.org.