By Lookout Staff

April 16, 2026 -- Next Wednesday, the Big Blue Bus (BBB) is offering free rides in celebration of Earth Day, an annual event held on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Transit officials encourage residents to "save on gas and parking costs, avoid traffic headaches, and support sustainable transportation by riding Big Blue Bus."

"Earth Day is a global call to action to flex your power and make sustainable choices in your everyday life," transit officials said.

"Utilizing public transit and other clean modes of transportation, such as biking, skating, and scooting, are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and support a cleaner, greener future."

A leader in sustainable public transit, the Big Blue Bus currently operates 34 battery-electric buses with 30 more planned for 2027, officials said.

Earlier this month, the Transportation Department celebrated an "unprecedented" $56 million expansion of Big Blue Bus’s zero-emission fleet and charging infrastructure ("City Marks 'Major Milestone' on Road to Fully Electric Bus Fleet," April 10, 2026).

Largely funded through a grant from the State, the expansion "represents a major milestone in Big Blue Bus’s transition to a fully zero-emission fleet" by 2032, officials said.

This year’s Earth Day theme, Our Power, Our Planet, "aims to promote renewable energy and advocacy for tripling global clean energy production by 2030."

First held on April 22, 1970, Earth Day now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally, including 1 billion people in more than 192 countries. For more, visit earthday.org