Barona Resort & Casino Rolls Out Free Green Shuttles

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - October 22, 2009) - Barona Resort & Casino is rolling out a new line of "green" shuttle buses that offer guests and staff a more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly way to travel to the award-winning gaming, golf and entertainment destination in the scenic Barona Valley just northeast of downtown San Diego.

Free shuttle service aboard the expanded fleet of low-emission eco-friendly luxury motorcoach buses is available daily from early morning to late evening from six locations throughout San Diego County, including El Cajon, Lakeside, Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Chula Vista and National City. In addition, all of the buses are equipped with a handicap lift.

The new fleet of Barona buses are "good for the environment, save wear on roads and reduce traffic congestion," explained Jay Bart, director of safety, health and environment at Barona Resort & Casino.

In recent years, he said there's been a huge attitude shift away from private vehicles and toward more eco-smart bus transportation. "With fuel prices skyrocketing and concerns about traffic congestion and global warming ever increasing, the demand from our guests and staff for greener alternatives has been very strong."

Motorcoaches are the most fuel-efficient mode of transportation and significantly reduce carbon emissions. Barona's new biodiesel-fueled motorcoaches provides 206.6 passenger miles per gallon of fuel -- more than double the second most fuel-efficient sector of commuter rail. They also emit the least carbon dioxide per passenger mile when compared to other vehicles and are on average seven times more energy and fuel efficient than single occupancy automobiles.

"It is always encouraging to see that Barona -- an early adopter of green technology continues to raise the bar for environmental performance," said Gary Goodson, Executive Director of the United States Green Building Council - San Diego Chapter. "Since biodiesel is a fuel made from plant crops like soybeans or recycled fryer oil from restaurants, it burns cleaner and is more of a renewable resource than diesel made from oil pulled from the ground."

"When you go by Barona bus, you go green," said Bart, noting that each shuttle bus has the potential of removing 56 autos from the local roads and busy highways. "That's millions of cars not driven, saving fuel, cutting emissions and reducing congestion," he said. And that's not mentioning lowered transportation costs and stress levels as well as other positive health benefits for both staff and guests who instead of driving simply "sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Barona Valley on their way to work or to play," said Bart.

The green shuttle buses are just part of Barona's environmental sustainability program and wide reaching eco-friendly mission.

With a proven track record for environmental stewardship, Barona has received numerous honors and accolades for its green practices. It has received SANDAG RideLink Diamond Awards for its transportation management program that has provided shuttle and vanpool services to more than 500,000 riders in recent years.

In addition, Barona has been recognized with the 2007 United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act Recognition Award, the 2006 San Diego Earthworks Earth Award for water resource management and the 2009 U.S. EPA Energy Star Award for superior energy efficiency.

"We're proud of our environmental record and think our guests and employees appreciate our eco-friendly efforts," said Bart. "We plan to continue to expand the greening of Barona by adding additional shuttle buses and other carbon footprint shrinking programs."

For casino shuttle service information and schedules, visit www.barona.com and click on directions or call toll free 888-7-BARONA (722-7662).

For two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009, Barona Resort & Casino has won the J.D. Power and Associates Award for the "Highest in Satisfaction in the Southern California Indian Casino Gaming Experience" in the J.D. Power and Associates Southern California Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction Study.

Barona Resort & Casino blends the best of San Diego's most elegant resorts with the gaming excitement of Las Vegas. Barona is San Diego's leading destination resort featuring 400 luxury guest rooms and suites, 11 award-winning dining options, the AmBience Day Spa, a full-service events center and the 18-hole championship Barona Creek Golf Club, rated the 3rd best resort course in California by Golfweek magazine.

Barona Resort & Casino received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2009 Indian Gaming Casino Studies(SM)-Southern California Region. The 2009 study, which only surveys casinos with a minimum of 1,000 slot machines, is based on 4,452 responses from gaming players who visited an Indian casino in Southern California between December 2008 and May 2009. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in May 2009. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

For Barona Resort & Casino reservations and information, visit www.barona.com, or call toll free 888-7-BARONA (722-7662).

You can also join Barona Resort & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace at: www.barona.com/facebook, www.barona.com/twitter and www.barona.com/myspace.

Contact Information: Contact: Audrey Doherty/Jordan Cole 619-236-8397 Kelly Jacobs Speer 619-933-5013