SANTA CRUZ >> To help make the air above Santa Cruz County just a little bit cleaner this Earth Day, one local agency is stepping up its effort to incentivize public transit.

Santa Cruz Metro will offer free fares countywide on all fixed-route, ParaCruz and Highway 17 Express services Tuesday in celebration of the spinning rock we all call home. The day-long freebie, a policy that the agency has implemented in previous years, seeks to reduce greenhouse gases and encourage environmentally friendly travel options as community members look to have some fun in the sun.

The agency wrote in a release that the day serves as a “helpful reminder that we all have a part to play in reducing air pollution and enhancing our community’s health by choosing alternative transportation options — whether it’s taking public transit, biking, or carpooling to our destinations.”

Santa Cruz Metro also plans to participate in Earth Day celebrations in Santa Cruz and Watsonville this weekend.

The Santa Cruz Earth Day event has been scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in downtown Santa Cruz. Metro will host a booth in the area and offer tours of one of its electric buses wrapped with imagery from the Monterey Bay region.

The city of Watsonville’s Earth Day extravaganza will happen from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at its downtown plaza. The Metro booth will have eco-friendly games and prizes available for the public to enjoy.

Metro also highlighted another ongoing environmental protection initiative called One Ride at a Time, that was launched in 2023. Every ride logged in the GO Santa Cruz ride sharing incentive program can eventually be turned into a donation for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Bay of Life Fund.

Every 25 rides logged in the GO Santa Cruz program app equates to a $10 donation to these nonprofit partners of Santa Cruz Metro.

Information about One Ride at a Time can be found at scmtd.com.