Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo

Carbon savings on the buses

21 May 2008

Using alternative transport can make a big difference in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and our impact on the environment.

The free shuttle-bus services running between Monash campuses have massively reduced carbon emissions over the past 12 months, statistics reveal.

The calculations are based on the total emissions the bus passengers would have built up if each had used a car for the same journey.

Monash's Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability Paul Barton said: "My main message is 'use it.' It makes a difference."

The statistics show that the buses emitted 208 tonnes of carbon over the 12 month period.

If each person who took the bus had used a car for the same journey the total emissions would have been 1121 tonnes - a difference of 912 tonnes.

"These results tell us that by using alternative transport we can make a big difference in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and reduce our impact on the environment," Mr Barton said.

"I encourage all students and staff to consider these inter-campus bus services when making their way around the Monash network and help us reduce our carbon footprint."

The services currently run between Clayton and Caulfield, Clayton and Berwick and Clayton and Peninsula.

In the first semester this year the buses have carried a total of 132,000 passengers.

The Peninsula link carried a total of 10,498 while the service to and from Berwick logged 6620 passengers.

Mr Barton said the Office of Environmental Sustainability was currently investigating the use of solar-powered buses for some of the services.

"This would bring our carbon emissions on the buses to nil which would be an even greater step in reducing our footprint," Mr Barton said.